VLADIVOSTOK, May 31. /TASS/. Year-round navigation in the eastern sector of the Northern Sea Route (NSR) will begin before the end of 2024, Russia's First Deputy Minister for Development of the Far East and Arctic Gadzhimagomed Guseynov said at the Maritime Congress in Vladivostok.

NSR's eastern sector includes the Laptev Sea, the East Siberian and Chukchi Seas.

"The key challenge to achieve the planned cargo traffic along NSR is to ensure the timely construction of all planned vessels for the cargo and icebreaker fleets under the sanctions restrictions. Presently, ten icebreakers are operating in NSR waters, where seven are nuclear-powered icebreakers, and thus we plan to begin this year already the year-round navigation of high ice class vessels in the eastern sector of the Northern Sea Route," he said at the congress's plenary session.

Russia plans to build another nine icebreakers by 2030, including the Arctic fleet's flagship - the Rossiya nuclear-powered icebreaker, which is being built at the Zvezda Shipyard, he continued. "The total demand for cargo ships for our key investment projects in the Arctic - to ensure cargo traffic along NSR - is more than 120 vessels, and their building has been included in the long-term plan of building civil vessels until 2035," he said.

The national northern transport route has been developed under a plan to 2035, where investments will amount to 2 trillion rubles ($22 billion). "The Northern Sea Route has become a key transport corridor to ship domestic products under big investment projects in the Arctic. Last year, the cargo traffic hit a record of 36 million tons. In the future, the traffic should exceed 150 million tons by 2030 and more than 200 million tons by 2035," the first deputy minister added.

The Far East Maritime Congress is held every other year. It is a platform to develop the marine industry. This year's event features more than 1,200 participants from five countries, including top managers of leading marine industry companies. The congress is supported by the Russian Government, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry for Development of the Far East and Arctic, and the Primorsky Region Government. TASS is the event's general information partner.