173 RUSSIA - Port of Vladivostok

Commercial Port of Vladivostok is a seaport in the Russian city of Vladivostok, Primorsky Krai. It is one of the main transport hubs in the Russian Far East, which plays an important role in international cabotage in the Pacific Rim. The Port of Vladivostok is the eastern last stop on Russia's Northern Sea Route that stretches from the country's northwestern shores at the border with Norway. It is the principal base for supplies for Russia's Arctic ports to the east of Cape Chelyuskin. In May 1896 Nicholas II, the Russian Emperor, ordered to build commercial port on the coast of Golden Horn Bay and allocated 600,000 rubles for this purpose. The arrival of the Chinese Eastern Railway in 1903 connected the Port of Vladivostok to Manchuria and gave the port a better connection to the rest of the Russian Empire and enhanced its importance as a major center in eastern Russia. The Port of Vladivostok was important as a military port that received supplies from the United States during World War I.

When the Russian Revolution of 1917 began, the Port of Vladivostok was occupied by foreign forces, primarily the Japanese, who stayed there until the early 1920s. After they left the city, the Port of Vladivostok became important to the new Soviet Government.The port is operated by Commercial Port of Vladivostok . During the World War II, when Baltic and Black Seas were locked out by the Wermacht, weapons, food stuff, machinery and medical supplies were shipped to Vladivostok from the USA under lend-lease. Then the cargo was loaded into wagons and transported to fronts via Trans-Siberian Railway. For 5 war years the port of Vladivostok handled 10 M tons of cargoes. In 1945 it was recognized the leading port for efficient and speedy vessel handling in the Soviet Union. After the war economic situation in the Russian Far East began to stabilize: new enterprises appeared and old ones were revitalized. In 1950 the port handled 7 times more cabotage cargoes than the year before. In 1952 the port became closed to foreign ships due to being the location of the Pacific fleet of the Soviet Navy and was opened only 40 years later in 1991.

About the sender

Ulyana02 (postcrossing) sent from Vladivostok (Russia) on 07.02.2014