With the aim of increasing cargo flow multi-fold along the Arctic Northern Sea Route, Russia's Nuclear power agency Chief Alexey Likhachev has proposed the need to enhance the country's fleet of icebreaker vessels and cargo vessels.

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The Northern Sea Route(NSR) is a shipping route along the northern coast of Russia, connecting Europe and Asia-Pacific regions via a shorter sea lane through the Arctic Ocean. 

Speaking at a session titled 'Long-Term Development Model for the Northern Sea Route', Alexey Likhachev, Director General of Rosatom, elaborated on the challenges that need to be addressed to increase shipping along the Arctic, an ocean that remains frozen for a significant part of the year.

Also read: Scientists are now planning to 'grow' ice and 'refreeze' Arctic Sea

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At the event, India was represented by Venkat Naga Prasanna Telidevara, Joint Secretary of the Secretariat of the National Security Council of India.

In 2024, about 38million tons of cargo passed through the Northern Sea Route, supported by Russia's fleet of 11 icebreaker vessels that help cut through the Arctic ice. Given the abundance of resources that can be exported from the Russian Arctic regions, Likachev shared a vision for transporting 100-150 million tons of cargo via the Northern Sea Route. For this, he said that Russia must build six more icebreaker vessels. 

Further, he stressed on the need to have more cargo-ferrying ships that can improve logistics in the Arctic and the need for increased cooperation with shipbuilding nations. "I understand that we do not have enough capacity to meet the demand for cargo vessels in advance, and this is where international cooperation is necessary. Now we are having discussions with several countries that are experts in shipbuilding. First of all, we need to develop a strategy for increasing capacity at our shipyards," Likachev added. 

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Vladimir Panov, Rosatom's Special Representative for Arctic Development, emphasized that Russia's collaboration with China and India on the Northern Sea Route has reached a systematic level. “ Under the instructions of the President of the Russian Federation and with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the highest level, intergovernmental partnership forms were established with the People’s Republic of China and the Republic of India. This is systematic work which we continue doing this year,” he said. He also added that regular container shipments between China and Russia via the NSR started two years ago, and the number of voyages has never stopped increasing.

In the year 2018, the Russian Government appointed Rosatom the NSR (Northern Sea Route) infrastructure operator. The corporation oversees the federal project "Development of the Northern Sea Route" also being involved in the plan for the development of the Northern Sea Route until 2035.

One of Rosatom's strategic goals is to make the Northern Sea Route an efficient transportation artery connecting Europe, Russia, and the Asia-Pacific region.  Russia considers the comprehensive development of its Arctic region as a national strategic priority.