Cargo traffic along Northern Sea Route hits all-time high of 36 mln tonnes in 2023 - Rosatom head

ST. PETERSBURG. Jan 26 (Interfax) - The Northern Sea Route (NSR) project has been developing positively, hitting an all-time high of more than 36 million tonnes of cargo traffic last year, Rosatom CEO Alexei Likhachev said.

"The NSR project has positive dynamics, [it set] a record of more than 36 million tonnes of cargo shipped last year, a tenfold increase in transit, the involvement of international companies in implementing the NSR project, and naturally, a faster growth in infrastructure, as port infrastructure has now reached a capacity of more than 40 million tonnes," Likhachev said when speaking at the ceremony for launching construction of the Leningrad icebreaker at the Baltic Shipyard on Friday.

Arctic shipbuilding is key to the development of the NSR, he went on to say. "Here on the slipway is the Chukotka, and the Yakutia is on the water [in the shipyard]. We are laying down a new icebreaker and will lay down another one soon. And the Far East's Zvezda shipyard is building a super-powerful Leader-class icebreaker," he said.

Likhachev recalled Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision of 2017 to relaunch the NSR. "Life proves its relevance in regard to connecting our country, supporting exports, [and] ensuring free access to the high seas. This is critically important to our country," he said.

"In parallel to this, the world is seeing growing demand for sustainable, reliable logistics routes. And what we are offering our partners is exactly such a rapid, safe, and competitive path," he said.

"I'd like to address our friends, our brothers in arms in peaceful nuclear energy, to thank them for the achievements the team has achieved. Rosatom is not only a customer here, it is also participating in this work. This way, together we will ensure that the Northern Sea Route becomes the most competitive route in the world," Likhachev said.