Nakhodka

Seaport in Primorski (Maritime) Krai in the Russian Far East; population (1996 est) 162,000. Nakhodka lies on the coast of the Sea of Japan, 100 km/62 mi east of Vladivostok. Nakhodka is the eastern terminus of the Trans-Siberian Railway. Transhipment of goods and fishing are major economic activities in the city.

Construction of the port at Nakhodka began in 1934 but was interrupted by World War II and did not resume until 1944. On its completion in 1958, it replaced Vladivostok as the sole permitted port of call for foreign ships on the Russian Pacific seaboard. Its importance has declined since the demise of the USSR in 1991 and the reopening of Vladivostok to international traffic.

Since the demise of the Soviet Union, US-caught fish, especially pollock, is processed by Russian factory ships from Nakhodka in a joint venture.