Private company could become sole operator of Northern Delivery - Trutnev

ST. PETERSBURG. June 15 (Interfax) - A private company could become the sole operator of the Northern Delivery that ships goods to Russia's Northern Territories, Yuri Trutnev, Deputy Prime Minister and Plenipotentiary Representative of the President of the Russian Federation in the Far Eastern Federal District, who is also in charge of developing the Arctic, said in an interview with Interfax on the eve of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) 2022.

Trutnev noted that the Northern Delivery, which is very important for the Arctic regions, is carried out exclusively by governors and the heads of municipalities. However, "a dangerous bell tolled" last year, as sea vessels did not reach the Arctic ports on time with the necessary goods. Threats arose with the supply of food, medicine, and other important goods for the cities and towns of the north.

"The government was forced to resolve the problem manually. Conclusions have been drawn, and we do not intend to step on the rake a second time. This year, we will do our best to ensure that the Northern Delivery is completed on time and without problems. As of next year already, I hope, the special law 'On Northern Delivery' will regulate it. The law should designate the priority of the passage of Northern Delivery cargo, and financing mechanisms, and should allow correcting many shortcomings, including in the organization of state procurement," the deputy prime minister said.

"It is already clear that we need to create a single operator that will deal with the entire Northern Delivery. Most likely, we will not go through the creation of a new state-owned enterprise; rather, we will try to determine a private company for this role in order to organize everything initially to the maximum in market conditions. Correctly organizing the Northern Delivery will substantially affect prices for the northerners, and thus improve the standard of living of people," Trutnev stressed.