VLADIVOSTOK, September 4. /TASS/. Russia needs 10 universal ice-class bulk carriers to ensure the Northern Supplies program, Minister for Development of the Far East and Arctic Alexey Chekunkov said in an interview with TASS at the Eastern Economic Forum.

"While implementing the Northern Sea Route development plan, together with Rosatom, we have seen we need to build 10 universal ice-class bulk carriers to ensure the Northern Supplies program. The Ministry of Industry and Trade has included this demand into the plan on building civil vessels up to 2035," the minister said.

The fleet is a key factor in ensuring the Northern Supplies program, he continued. Water transport serves more than 90% of the delivery. "We have been using successfully river-sea type vessels - those are the most massive segment produced by the domestic shipbuilding industry," he said.

The 10th Eastern Economic Forum takes place in Vladivostok from September 3 to 6 under the theme "The Far East: Cooperation for Peace and Prosperity." The business program will feature more than 100 thematic sessions divided into seven tracks. The forum is expected to bring together over 4,500 participants from more than 70 countries and territories. The Roscongress Foundation is the event's organizer, with TASS as its general information partner.