North Rail begins restructuring talks as Russian tariffs halt fertilizer shipments

North Rail, a rail transport company handling fertilizer shipments from Russia, has initiated restructuring negotiations that could affect up to 25 jobs, the Finnish broadcaster Yle reports.

The talks may lead to redundancies, reassignments, or temporary layoffs across the company’s entire workforce. North Rail, a subsidiary of Nurminen Logistics, aims to save €3 million annually through the changes.

Russia’s decision to increase rail tariffs eightfold on July 1 effectively halted fertilizer imports to Finland via Vainikkala. According to an analysis by Inderes, Russian fertilizer shipments accounted for roughly two-thirds of North Rail’s transport volume.

The tariff hike is expected to reduce Nurminen Logistics’ revenue by €4–5 million this year. Fertilog, a fertilizer storage and loading company, previously estimated that at least 50 jobs could be directly or indirectly lost due to the end of fertilizer transport. The Port of Hamina-Kotka, which handled nearly 3 million tons of fertilizer in 2025, saw the commodity account for 23% of its total traffic last year.