The St Petersburg branch of Glavgosexpertiza has granted approval for the project to construct dust suppression facilities on the territory of the Murmansk commercial port.
The approved documentation was drafted by Morstroytechnology.
The installation of dust-protection screens is an effective but as yet largely untried technology for Russia. The screens reduce the force of the wind, which is the principal factor in the spread of dust. The specially corrugated walls work to reduce air-flow velocity, and the installation of protective screens prevents wind-erosion – dust from the exposed surface of the coal is not carried away.
In 2017 several stevedoring companies installed dust-protection screens at the port of Nakhodka, and recently construction work commenced on screens at the OTEKO coal terminal.
Murmansk Commercial Sea Port PJSC is the largest stevedoring company operating in the port of Murmansk, with the 4th highest freight turnover in Russia, and the 2nd highest in the North-West region of the country.
According to the findings of the modeling work conducted by Morstroytechnology, once the dust-protection screens are installed the concentration of coal-dust beyond the terminal’s territory will be reduced by 87-90%,
The project will involve the construction of 20m-high barriers secured by a network of piles made from steel-reinforced concrete and the relocation of cable lines which currently fall within the territory of the barrier foundations. The combined length of the barriers will be 1896m. The construction contractor selected by tender is the company SMM.
The construction of the screens will be highly significant for the city, and not just because they will make the air cleaner. The city’s inhabitants and visitors alike will be able to see the screens from any part of Murmansk. Murmansk Commercial Sea Port CJSC and the Murmansk Arctic University of the Humanities organized a competition to develop the design for the screens.
It is possible that in future the dust-protection screens with their contemporary design look will become one of the new symbols of the city.
Further information about the project on the Glavgosexpertiza website can be found here.
