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Northern Sea Route to be international transport corridor — First Deputy PM

Further to the Northern Sea Route, Russia is also developing motor and railway transport corridors
Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Belousov Sergei Bobylev/TASS
Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Belousov
© Sergei Bobylev/TASS

MOSCOW, August 3. /TASS/. Russia needs to develop the Northern Sea Route in such way that it becomes an international transport corridor, First Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Belousov said in an interview with the Rossiya 24 TV Channel. 

"The third corridor playing the key role is the sea corridor — the Northern Sea Route. Conditions should be created for it to become the international transit corridor, rather than simply developing the Northern Sea Route," Belousov said.

Appropriate infrastructure and navigation systems should be developed to this end, the official said. "There are such stringent requirements. A strong fleet should be established for that, including the icebreaker fleet; strong infrastructure, access ways and port infrastructure should be created. Modern or even cutting-edge communication and navigation systems are highly important," Belousov added.

A digital platform should also been developed, enabling shippers to trace transportation, he noted.

Further to the Northern Sea Route, Russia is also developing motor and railway transport corridors, Belousov said.

"We are building a system of corridors now. The railway corridor is operating now, with Baikal-Amur - Trans-Siberian Railways being its core. We are endeavoring to increase its throughput capacity because the capacity is always not enough. The second corridor is the motor one. It is formed right now. We have a corridor segment from the Finnish border to Moscow, the M11 highway well known to everyone. Then there is a road from Moscow to Kazan and then from Kazan to Yekaterinburg - the corridor leg mentioned by the President. Further plans are to build branches from Yekaterinburg to Tyumen and Chelyabinsk. We will connect the Finnish border and Western Siberia by a single road, a motor way," Belousov added.