YAKUTSK, April 30. /TASS/. Implementation of an investment project to create a deepwater port hub in northern Yakutia’s Bulunsky District will serve the full-scale development of the Arctic and reliable deliveries to northern settlements, and will improve life in the North, Head of the Government of Yakutia Andrei Tarasenko told TASS.
The regional authorities believe that for the implementation of international and local logistics projects they need to outline and implement a set of strategic and immediate tasks, including the organization of a deepwater port hub in waters of the Northern Sea Route in the Laptev Sea (in Yakutia’s Arctic zone). The present transport infrastructure in the Arctic is in poor technical condition, they say.
"We have been working on an investment project to build a deepwater sea port in Naiba village," the official said. "Implementation of this project will give an impetus to the Arctic’s full-scale development - establishment of new industrial facilities, as well as of effective energy and transport infrastructure."
The project includes a bigger territory of the Tiksi port and the construction of a new deepwater sea terminal near Naiba, which is located 112 km off Tiksi. "It will be used for handling life-supporting cargo [northern delivery of goods for the winter seasons] and cargo for investment projects," he added.
Kharaulakhskaya Bay, where Naiba is located, has been chosen due to its deep water. Besides, the bay is protected from offshore winds. "The choice is based on hydrography due to the favorable wind and wave regimes and sufficient depths, where vessels of more than 10 meters draught may get to the shore," he added.
The port’s annual turnover is planned at 18.3 million tonnes by 2032, according to the basic scenario, or at 23.1 million tonnes, according to an intensive scenario.
Growing importance
Evgeny Yelegyayev, a department head at the Center for Strategic Research under the head of Yakutia, says the project to build a new deepwater port in Naiba is in line with the growing demand for the Northern Sea Route as an alternative to the Southern Route. The importance of the Northern Sea Route is growing due to the climate warming and plans to use the route year-round without being constantly escorted by an icebreaker.
"In January 2021, the Christophe de Margerie Arc7 ice class Arctic tanker successfully made an east-bound trip along the Northern Sea Route without an icebreaker escort," the expert said. "In our opinion, the Northern Sea Route (NSR) working at full capacity and the planned sea port in the Laptev Sea in Yakutia’s Arctic zone will favor safe sailing, better navigation and hydrographic and rescue services in NSR’s eastern part."
The port’s construction will be an impetus for promising mining projects as NSR will offer better logistics options.
"In the future, the project’s implementation will be an impetus for a large-scale development of the Arctic, including new industrial facilities and respective energy and transport infrastructure," he added. "The local budgets will get higher revenues, and the regions will see inflows of economically active population and will offer better living conditions."
Goods deliveries
A deepwater port in Yakutia’s Arctic zone will also favor solving the issue of expensive deliveries of goods, Yelegyayev said. All the 13 Arctic districts in the region depend on the Northern Sea Route, which serves not only offshore areas but also zones in northern rivers’ estuaries, where all cargo is handled.
"Yakutia’s key hindrance is an incredibly insufficient development of the basic transport infrastructure. Cargo is delivered by cars, air and water. The Arctic transport system depends highly on the seasons - cargo is transported by water during the navigation season or by cars in winter, when the so-called winter roads are hard enough," he continued. "The share of transport expenses in final costs is by a few times higher than anywhere in the country. It may reach 40-70%, or even more than 80% in case of imported products."
Without having year-round transport networks, businesses beginning big investment projects have to build special communications, which may be hundreds kilometers long, and which may cost hundreds of billions rubles, thus surpassing the economic benefit of those investment projects significantly.
Every year, more than 300,000 tonnes of life-supporting cargo (mostly fuel and energy resources) are transported along the Northern Sea Route, of which more than 100,000 tonnes Yakutia receives from Arkhangelsk, Murmansk and other Arctic ports.