ST. PETERSBURG, June 20. /TASS/. The first logistics company in the Arctic, using drones, will be organized in the Nenets Autonomous Region. According to the administration's press service, during the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) the region inked an agreement on production of drones.

"In the Nenets Autonomous Region, will be organized the Arctic's first logistics company, using drones," the press service said. "At the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, the region signed an agreement on development of drone production in the region. The document was signed by the region's Governor Yuri Bezdudny and the T1 Holding Company's Director General Igor Kalganov."

The agreement reads the region will have the first in the Arctic logistics company, which will use drones. The new company will have a drone competence center for other Arctic regions.

"Test drone flights have begun in the region," the press service quoted Kalganov as saying. "In the past, we had to use expensive helicopter flights or water transport to ship goods, and now this task is solved within 40 minutes - a drone within that time ships the cargo, has it unloaded, picks a new cargo and returns."

"The Nenets Autonomous Region demonstrates huge progress for Russia, and this experience later on may be multiplied across the country," he added.

Pilots and personnel will be trained right in the region, and in future the drone production will be localized there thus creating new jobs. Special attention will be paid to young specialists: students will be invited to learn using drones. The unmanned aviation will serve to ship necessary goods and postal cargo to about 30 settlements in the region and to towns of shift workers. The agreement on the development of unmanned technologies also includes the development of drone-based environmental monitoring. "In this direction also unmanned aerial vehicles open huge opportunities for us: to deliver not only medicines, but also other goods. Now it is very important to increase the load capacity, and we will become a pilot site for entire Russia," the press service quoted the governor as saying.

About forum

The 26th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) is Russia’s showcase annual economic and business event. It was held on June 14-17. The theme in 2023 was: "Sovereign Development as the Basis of a Just World: Joining Forces for Future Generations." TASS was the event's official information partner.