Competition, Estonia, Markets and Companies, Port, Russia, Transport

"There is an instruction to reorient our dry freight from Estonian ports to Russian ports. And we are now conducting negotiations with different stevedores, railways, shore-side land owners. We are exploring the issue in two areas: either to reorient a part of our freight to already existing terminals to third parties or constructing our own port capacity," Popov told Interfax in an interview.

It doesn't appear from the interview who issued the instruction.

Popov said that the company has not yet determined in what direction its fertilizers will be reoriented and is exploring various options, including the Ust-Luga port, the ports of St. Petersburg and Murmansk.

Acron considers that the reorientation of freight to Russian ports will not lead to a significant rise in the company's transport expenses.

"For us the situation is very unpleasant, but the instruction was formed in a way to allow us to solve the strategic task of reorienting all transit from the Baltic to Russian ports, but in such a way as to not harm Acron's interests as a freighter and owner of existing terminals. In other words, stevedores and Russian Railways need to provide us conditions similar to those conditions which we had regarding transit and transshipment through Estonia," he said.

Transshipments of ammonia will continue through Estonian ports, Popov said.