ST. PETERSBURG, December 8. /TASS/. The total traffic along the Northern Sea Route (NSR) is expected to be above planned - about 34 million tons, Minister for Development of the Far East and Arctic Alexey Chekunov said on sidelines of the 12th international forum Arctic: Present and Future.
"This year, the traffic along the Northern Sea Route will be higher than planned (at 32 million tons). It will be about 34 million tons," he said. "As of December 7, NSR's total traffic is already 31.8 million tons."
More than 60% of handled cargo is LNG. Other types of cargo are oil, general cargoes, containers, gas condensate.
The government has adopted a plan for the Northern Sea Route development to 2035. Various investments from different sources will make 1.8 trillion rubles ($29 billion). The forecast is the route's total traffic will grow from current 35 million tons per annum (MTPA) to 220 MTPA.
The Northern Sea Route is the shortest water route between Russia's European part and the Far East.
The route from the Kara Gate to Providence Bay is about 5,600 km long. It lies within the Russian territorial waters and within its exclusive economic zone, which is specifically important in the conditions of disrupted logistics supply chains due to external sanctions.
The 12th international forum Arctic: Present and Future is running in St. Petersburg on December 8 and 9. In 2022, Russia marks the 90th anniversary of the Northern Sea Route, the 85th anniversary of the world's first drifting scientific station, North Pole-1, and the 15th anniversary of the high-latitude Arctic deep-water expedition (2007). Special activities on the forum's agenda will be devoted to these events. The forum's organizer is the Association of Polar Explorers, supported by the Federation Council, the State Duma, the Ministry for Development of the Far East and Arctic, the Foreign Ministry and other authorities. Nornickel is the event's general partner. TASS is the general information partner.