Under the “Northern Sea Route” project Russia has taken necessary measures to achieve the annual cargo flow target of 80 million tons by 2024, informed Alexy Likhachev, CEO of State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom. He was speaking at the first working meeting of the Northern Sea Route (NSR) Public Council, held during Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) at Vladivostok, Russia, yesterday September 4, 2019.
“We have no doubt that we will cope with this task and create infrastructure that will include the Arctic Icebreaker Fleet, satellite communications, emergency means of rescue, Port Fleet and digital shipping services. In August of this year, a contract was signed for the construction of the third and fourth serial universal nuclear icebreakers in addition to the three under construction in St. Petersburg ", Rosatom CEO added.
The Northern Sea Route is a shipping route officially defined by Russian legislation as lying east of Novaya Zemlya and specifically running along the Russian Arctic coast from the Kara Sea, along Siberia, to the Bering Strait. The entire route lies in Arctic waters and within Russia's exclusive economic zone.
The meeting was also attended by Vyacheslav Ruksha, Director in NSR Directorate, representatives of Russian and foreign shipping lines and companies operating in the region, scientists, public organisations and the media.
The NSR Public Council aims to create a platform for an open expert decision-making panel for developing the Northern Sea Route, taking into account best international practices. The NSR Public Council is an initiative spearheaded by ROSATOM, which, in accordance with Presidential Decree, performs as the single infrastructure operator for the development of the Northern Sea Route.
