Due to the melting of ice and the development of shipping, Russia increased cargo transportation along the Northern Sea Route 36 times in 2012-2023, said Alexei Chekunkov, Russian Minister for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic.
According to him, the NSR attracts the attention of the whole world, which is facilitated by the risks that have significantly increased on traditional routes such as the Suez Canal, the Strait of Malacca, and in the Indian-Pacific region.
"Russia remains the most advanced country that is able to organize navigation, the only country that has its own nuclear icebreaker fleet that is advanced in terms of tonnage, capacity, and age. Therefore, I am sure we will achieve the planned plans for the development of transportation along the NSR, although it will not be an easy task," the minister said in an interview with Izvestia.
"Strategically, if in the 2010s there were millions of tons [of cargo transportation], now, in the 2020s, we are talking about tens of millions of tons on the NSR: last year there was a record of 36.5 million tons. This year, I am sure we will deliver a new record. In the 2030s, there will be hundreds of millions of tons: by 2030, I think we will reach 100 million tons, and in the 2030s it will already be 200 million tons," he added.
Alex Shishlo for Rough&Polished
