Governor suggests border crossing point near Liinakhamari
Murmansk Oblast Governor Dmitry Dmitriyenko suggests establishing a border crossing point at sea near Liinakhamari on the Barents Sea coast.
In a letter to First Deputy Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov, Dmitriyenko requests that fish farms on the Russian side of the Norwegian-Russian border can be allowed to handle custom formalities at anchorage outside the port of Liinkhamari, a press release from the regional government reads.
The two fish farms Russian Salmon and Gigante Pechnga on the Barents Sea coast cultivate nearly a million salmons and produce more than 3000 tons of fish a year. The two firms plan to install another 14 net cages and import several millions of smolt and other equipment from abroad. Border and custom formalities can only be done in the Port of Murmansk, 120 nautical miles from the farms.
Dmitriyenko asks Zubkov to give the fish farms possibility to handle custom formalities at anchorage outside the port of Liinkhamari, and to consider the establishment of a permanent border crossing point to Russia in the area.
Gigante Pechenga was originally a Norwegian-Russian joint company named Gigante Murmansk. It was built in 2002 with major economic backing from the Norwegian state. In 2005, the Norwegian owners lost a long-dragged court case in Murmansk and was deprived its owner interests in the company.
