Murmansk Shipping Company: past, present and future

The Kola Arctic has always attracted people by its vast expanse and unexplored treasures. For centuries it was possible to get to Murmansk coast only by sea. After the Kola Peninsula has become a large industrial area it was necessary to have its own cargo fleet, registered in Murmansk.

Murmansk State Sea Dry-cargo and Passenger Shipping Company, founded in 1939 (since 1967 - Murmansk Shipping Company), was specialized in arctic transportation. Basically, it consisted of bulk and passenger cargo carriers, that have been transferred from Northern and Baltic Shipping Companies. In 1940 there were 37 ships, their total deadweight was 112,200 tons.

Murmansk Shipping Company has added several glorious pages to the history of the Soviet and Russian navigation. MSCO vessels took an active part in allied escort voyages during the World War II. The company has done a lot in post-war period when steamer vessels were replaced by diesel-electric and nuclear ones. At the time when Murmansk Shipping Company was a state enterprise, the government focused its attention mainly on radical renewal of the fleet.

Cargo transportation has become more steady and effective after reinforced ice class cargo ships and powerful diesel-electric icebreakers of different types and nuclear icebreakers of three generations and the nuclear lash lighter - container carrier "Sevmorput" have been built.

The nuclear icebreaker "Arktika" is the first surface ship that reached the North Pole in 1977. Other unique activities of the company are year-round navigation in western regions of Russian Arctic (since 1978) and outstanding rescue operations performed by the carriers in eastern Arctic region in 1983 and 1994. Moreover, there are regular international tours aboard nuclear icebreakers to the North Pole (since 1993).

In 1993 Murmansk Shipping Company was reorganized into Joint Stock Company.

Today JSC "Murmansk Shipping Company" is a highly integrated corporate structure, which carries major part of cargo transportation by vessels sailing under the Russian flag. It includes fleet of three shipping companies: JSC "Murmansk Shipping Company", JSC "Northern Shipping Company" and JSC "Northern River Shipping Lines". Its total number of different types of vessels is 303, their total deadweight is about 1.2 million tons.

Murmansk Shipping Company is the leader in arctic transportation. The company develops new activities connected with oil transfer and transportation, geological prospecting, hydraulic construction.

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