OREANDA-NEWS. July 26, 2011. Tuapse Bulk Terminal owned by MCC EuroChem has started operating in spite of protests from environmentalists. Unloading of agri-chemicals from rail cars began last night, the North Caucasus Environmental Watch said.

According to the group, EuroChem and Environmental Watch, the Committee for Protection of Tuapse agreed upon the list of green activists who would monitor unloading operations at the terminal. However, when green activists came, the employees of EuroChem refused to let through a local watchdog Irina Turcan.

Unable to reach agreement with EuroChem the two environmentalists groups also refused to go to the terminal.

"The chemicals cargo that was offloaded today is different of what they plan to ship in bulk, as it generates less dust during unloading operations,” the environmentalists group said in a statement.

The company disregards the opinion of the locals and the launch of Tuapse bulk terminal may lead to social conflict in Tuapse, the group said.

In its turn the fertilizer producer blamed the group for deliberate provocation around the terminal. 

EuroChem in its press release said the offloading of granular urea at the terminal’s warehouse was carried out at the presence of 30 representatives of local environmentalists, public organizations and experts under the supervision of the state laboratory. The company explained the Environmental Watch activist was not allowed at the terminal as she was not in the list of observers.

The terminal location was approved due to the proximity of Tuapse to EuroChem facilities and additional throughput capabilities of the Tuapse railway station and the presence of the port infrastructure for safe shipping and receiving of large bulk carriers, suitable weather conditions for year-round operations.

The company expects to ship 2.3 million tons of dry granular fertilizer a year. The terminal will allow EuroChem get predictable and stable income from its stevedoring services, reduce the cost of shipping and handling of fertilizers through other ports.

EuroChem is Russia’s largest mineral fertilizer producer and ranks among the top three European and top ten global producers of fertilizer.