For the first time in 30 years, Russia will begin exporting pig iron through the Arctic port of Murmansk. This is entirely due to Ukrainian attacks on vessels in the Black Sea, the FT reports. In the past, pig iron left via the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk, but the last shipment from there was on July 31. Now the Russians have decided to resume the export of pig iron through Murmansk, for the first time since 1996. From there they plan to send a trial batch of 65,000 tons of metal, most likely to Turkey, since as of January 1, 2026, the European Union has banned the import of Russian pig iron. However, this route is about 10 days longer and costs almost twice as much as via the Black Sea. Some Russian producers will now spend $100 more to supply each ton of metal.

For the first time in 30 years, Russia will begin exporting pig iron through the Arctic port of Murmansk. This is entirely due to Ukrainian attacks on vessels in the Black Sea, the FT reports. In the past, pig iron left via the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk, but the last shipment from there was on July 31. Now the Russians have decided to resume the export of pig iron through Murmansk, for the first time since 1996. From there they plan to send a trial batch of 65,000 tons of metal, most likely to Turkey, since as of January 1, 2026, the European Union has banned the import of Russian pig iron. However, this route is about 10 days longer and costs almost twice as much as via the Black Sea. Some Russian producers will now spend $100 more to supply each ton of metal.