Russia moves toward the Finnish

The “strategic” part of the co-operation is of interest because Finland has often been a useful trading partner for Russia, acting as a balance and entry point when the latter has, as in the past, distanced itself from its European allies.

The main area of focus is going to be on Russia’s northern coast, especially those facing a possible expansion into arctic transits. “Russia is going to modernise its ports, especially on the Northeast Passage and Arctic region,” confirmed Russian deputy prime minister Sergey Ivanov, who said that the country needs “long term co-operation with trusted partners” in order to make the most of their experience.

Further, a high enough volume to consider automation seems to be part of the plan. It’s a point picked up by Andrey Lavrishchev of FSUE Rosmorport who said that “port automation knowhow will be very beneficial for us when we discuss Russian ports infrastructure development.”