MURMANSK (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 25th September, 2018) The volume of cargo transportation via the Northern Sea Route (NSR) is growing every year and may increase to 80 million tonnes in 2025 from just 10.7 million tonnes in 2017, acting CEO of FSUE Atomflot, Mustafa Kashka, told Sputnik on Monday.
"According to the results of 2017, the volume of cargo transportation along the Northern Sea Route was 10.7 million tonnes. ... Due to the fact that Arctic operators' plans for year-round transportation of products along the Eastern route of the Russian Arctic include the delivery of products directly to the premium markets of the Asia-Pacific region, by 2025, the cargo traffic via the NSR is forecast to increase to 80 million tonnes annually," Kashka said.
Atomflot's acting head underlined the importance of the Arctic and, in particular, the Northern Sea Route from the perspective of potential reserves of hydrocarbons and other minerals, the main driver of cargo turnover increase.
"During the Soviet period, cargo transportation peaked in 1987 at 6.5 million tonnes, and a steady upward trend was observed in the Arctic from 2011," Kashka said.
One of the main growth drivers was the launch of transit sea traffic of vessels from different countries, he noted.
The increase will result from the implementation of the largest hydrocarbon projects in the Russian Arctic in the period from 2019 to 2025, he said, adding that the main type of cargo will be liquefied natural gas produced in the Yamal and Gydan peninsulas.
He also noted that, according to expert estimates, ice conditions in the Arctic are expected to avoid significant changes and will be close to modern ones until 2050.
FSUE Atomflot, part of Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom, maintains Russia's fleet of nuclear-powered icebreakers.
