ST. PETERSBURG, June 6. /TASS/. The Northern Sea Route (NSR) may become more attractive among other international logistics routes, if there are two additional railway exits in the Urals and Siberia, the president's envoy on international cooperation in transport, Igor Levitin, said during the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).
"This transport corridor is very promising. The problem we have is that we have railway exits only in Murmansk, Arkhangelsk and Vladivostok. We need to have access to the Northern Sea Route somewhere in the Urals or Siberia. At least one or two [additional] railway exits to the Northern Sea Route, then the route will be competitive," the official said.
Right now, he explained, goods shipped via NSR can be delivered by rail only via Murmansk in Russia's European part or via Vladivostok in the Far East, which means additional cargo transported along the Eastern Polygon. Additional exits at new points along the Northern Sea Route could help distribute cargo along the entire length of that transport corridor.
"It is very important that container shipments go along the Northern Sea Route. The volume between Asia and Europe is very significant, and the Trans-Siberian Railway, the Eastern Polygon will not be able to serve it, and besides it is also unprofitable to go via South Africa. Without NSR, there will be no global logistics, in one form or another. Russia is expected to offer breakthrough technologies in the development of this international transport corridor," he stressed.
The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) runs on June 5-8. This year’s theme is "The Formation of New Areas of Growth as the Cornerstone of a Multipolar World." Scheduled events include meetings for small and medium-sized businesses, creative industries, the SPIEF Youth Day, as well as the Drug Security, SPIEF Academy and SPIEF Junior forums. SPIEF is organized by the Roscongress Foundation. TASS is the event's information partner.