VLADIVOSTOK, September 5. /TASS/. Russia’s Ministry for Development of the Far East and Arctic expects record cargo traffic along the Northern Sea Route (NSR) exceeding last year’s level by 3-5% in 2024, First Deputy Minister Gadzhimagomed Guseinov told TASS on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF).

In 2023, 36.2 mln tons were carried along the NSR.

"As of today, we are around 3-5% higher than in the same period last year. Today’s year-on-year growth is about 1 mln tons. Obviously, [this trend will persist]. We expect a record," he said.

Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin set the task of boosting cargo traffic along the NSR to 80 mln tons in 2024.

The Eastern Economic Forum is underway on the campus of the Far Eastern Federal University in Vladivostok. The main theme of the EEF this year is ‘Far East 2030. Combining strengths to create new potential’. Business activities are broken down into seven thematic blocks: ‘New contours of international cooperation’, ‘Technologies to ensure independence’, ‘Financial value system’, ‘the Russian Far East’, ‘People, education and patriotism’, ‘Transport and logistics: new routes’, and ‘Master plans: from architecture to economy’. The Roscongress Foundation is the Forum’s organizer. TASS is the general information partner of the EEF.