MOSCOW, January 16. /TASS/. The role of the Northern Sea Route as a global route for the delivery of transit cargo from Asia to Europe and back is increasing due to the escalation of tensions in the Suez Canal, the press service of Sovcomflot told TASS.

"The escalation of tensions in the Suez Canal and, as a consequence, a significant extension of logistics chains affect the potential for the development of alternative routes for the transportation of goods by sea. The role of the Northern Sea Route transport corridor as a global route for the delivery of transit goods from Asia to Europe and back is increasing," the company’s representative said.

The official also said that in 2023, Sovcomflot transported almost 1.7 million tons of hydrocarbons along the Northern Sea Route to the ports of China and Southeast Asia. The company’s vessels made 26 voyages along the Northern Sea Route, the official added.

The Northern Sea Route is a shipping route and the main sea line in the Russian Arctic sector. It stretches along the northern coasts of Russia across the seas of the Arctic Ocean (Barents, Kara, Laptev, East Siberian, Chukchi and Bering seas). The route consolidates the European and Far Eastern ports of Russia and navigable river mouths in Siberia into a single transport system. The route’s length is 5,600 km from the Kara Strait to Providence Bay.

Sovcomflot Group is one of the world's leading energy shipping companies, focusing on the transportation of liquefied gas, crude oil, and petroleum products, as well as the servicing of offshore upstream energy production.