Vzglyad: China has begun investing in the Northern Sea Route
Russian Vzglyad newspaper posted an article that discuss the launch of the Northern Sea Route and Russia’s development of its fleet in this direction.
For the first time in history, a ship carrying cargo from China reached Europe via the Northern Sea Route.
The journey through the Russian Arctic took 20 days, about half the time taken by traditional southern routes, according to Rosatom.
The long-term nature of the partnership with China is evident in Rosatom and its Chinese partners’ agreement on an action plan for the further development of maritime transport via the Northern Sea Route.
According to Natalia Melchakova, an analyst at Freedom Finance Global, “This is a win-win situation for all three parties—China, Russia, and Europe itself… China benefits by having a real transport corridor to Europe for its exports, and shipments via the Northern Sea Route are fully in line with China’s One Belt, One Road strategy… Europe also benefits because the faster delivery of goods will reduce disruptions to the supply of goods, raw materials, and components, and thus, lower inflation”.
As a transit country, Russia benefits from cooperation with China in international maritime cargo shipments and in diverting export flows from West to East.
As part of the development of the Arctic icebreaker and cargo fleet, five Project 22220 nuclear-powered icebreakers, one Project 10510 lead icebreaker, and a nuclear maintenance vessel are planned for construction between 2022 and 2030, along with the modernization of Atomflot’s infrastructure.
Overall, approximately 16 new icebreakers and more than 85 new Arctic-class vessels are required to support the growing cargo traffic on the Northern Sea Route.
Currently, Russia has approximately 45 different polar cargo ships in permanent operation, in addition to approximately 40 new ships in various stages of construction.
