Russian PM approves development plan for Northern Sea Route to 2035

MOSCOW. Aug 4 (Interfax) - Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin has signed an order approving the Plans for Development of the Northern Sea Route (NSR) to 2035, the government press service said.

Overall financing for more than 150 measures in the plan will total almost 1.8 trillion rubles.

The measures include construction of the Utrenny liquefied natural gas (LNG) and gas condensate terminal, the Sever Bay oil terminal and the Yenisei coal terminal.

The plan also calls for building onshore and hydraulic structures for the Baimskoye copper deposit, and marine LNG transshipment facilities in Kamchatka Territory and Murmansk Region; creating a port hub for transit shipments in Vladivostok; building a transport and logistics hub at the Korsakov seaport on Sakhalin Island; and building ship fuelling and maintenance centers at the ports of Tiksi and Dikson.

A separate section of the plan is devoted to building ice-class vessels, including the Leader flagship icebreaker project, and developing Arctic shipbuilding and ship repair facilities.

The plan also provides for building an emergency rescue fleet of 46 vessels, and outfitting the Emergency Situations Ministry's Arctic search and rescue centers with helicopters. There are also plans to build an Arctic satellite constellation that will provide hydrometeorological and navigational support for shipping and help assess climate change.