The Murmansk agglomeration, with a population of approximately 345,000, enjoys strategic competitive advantages. It is home to the largest port in Russia's Arctic zone, accounting for over 50% of cargo transshipment in the Arctic Zone, and the only ice-free port in the Arctic basin open to foreign vessels. Murmansk ranks fourth in the country in terms of cargo transshipment volume and is home to all of the world's nuclear-powered icebreakers. The metropolitan area also hosts one of the key maritime rescue coordination centers, ensuring the safety of navigation along the Northern Sea Route. At the direction of Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Murmansk Transport Hub—a key element of the Northern Sea Route and the Trans-Arctic Transport Corridor—is being comprehensively developed. This will create a powerful multimodal transport hub in the Murmansk Region.
The key investment projects outlined in the master plan are focused on logistics, shipbuilding, ship repair, and the creation of new production facilities. Furthermore, the decision to gasify the region opens up additional opportunities for the deployment of gas chemical production facilities and the further development of the LNG industry after 2030.