Russian state corporation Rosatom CEO Alexey Likhachev forecasts a record 40 million tonnes worth of cargo transportation on the Northern Sea Route (NSR) in 2026.
As of mid-July, cargo volumes on the NSR totalled 18.8 million tonnes, a 13.7% increase over the same period of 2025.
"Our forecast for cargo shipments in 2026 is a record 40 million tonnes. Effective January 1, Rosatom became the sole maritime operator for northern shipments. This year, we are already delivering cargo to three regions: Chukotka, Yakutia, and Khabarovsk territory. A nuclear-powered icebreaker Sibir operated in the Gulf of Finland in February and March next to the port of Primorsk, which handles approximately 60 million tonnes of oil and petroleum products annually," Likhachev said.
By the end of 2025, the volume of cargo shipments on the NSR totalled more than 37 million tonnes.
Alex Shishlo, Editor in Chief of the European Bureau, Rough&Polished
