Русский
Russia’s Rosatom state nuclear energy corporation has forecast that the cargo flow along the Northern Sea Route (NSR) reached 37.9 million tonnes in 2024. The data was revealed by Vladimir Panov, Rosatom’s special representative for Arctic development. Rosatom is responsible for the operation of Russia’s nuclear ice-breaker fleet, which supports transiting container vessels.
Panov said that “We are heading for 37.9 million tonnes, a growth of about 3% compared to last year.” He was speaking in Murmansk at a meeting of Russia’s State Council on the Northern Sea Route and the Arctic on Wednesday (December 25).
Previous volumes had reached 34 million tonnes in 2022 and 36.25 million tonnes in 2023. Rosatom had previously projected cargo transportation along the NSR to rise to 40 million tonnes in 2024.
Panov also said that Rosatom projects an increase in cargo traffic along the NSR to 44.2 million tonnes in 2025, 52.9 million tonnes in 2026, 68.6 million tonnes in 2027, and 85.1 million tonnes in 2028. To put this into context, the Suez Canal will have a cargo flow of about 520 million tonnes during 2024. Unless the situation in the Red Sea improves, this means that the NSR will continue to gain tonnage share from the Suez.
The boundaries of the NSR are defined by the Merchant Shipping Code as being from the Novaya Zemlya archipelago in the west to Cape Dezhnev in Chukotka. Russian authorities call the NSR a new international transport alternative, emphasizing that the NSR is 30% shorter than the route from Europe to Asia via the Suez Canal.
Further Reading
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