KRASNOYARSK, September 8. /TASS/. Building of icebreakers and high-class Arctic vessels is necessary for development of the Transarctic Transport Corridor, Alexander Vorotnikov, the Arctic Development Project Office's coordinator, associate professor at the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA), told TASS.
On September 5, at the Eastern Economic Forum, Russia's President Vladimir Putin noted the growing interest in the Transarctic Transport Corridor from St. Petersburg to Vladivostok from Russian companies operating in the Arctic and from foreign carriers.
"Work on development of the Transarctic Transport Corridor is done primarily on the shore. It is there that ships that operate on the Transarctic Transport Corridor are being built, including nuclear icebreakers, which are no longer sufficient for its sustainable operation. This also includes building new Arc 7 high-class Arctic vessels: tankers, gas carriers, container ships, which we have few or simply none. In other words, we need advanced shipbuilding and ship repair," the expert said.
Besides, he continued, the country needs well-developed port infrastructures, including river infrastructures, to handle goods from Siberia and the Urals as well as to create processing facilities there and produce goods with higher added value. The Transarctic Transport Corridor may be used also to deliver goods via river and rail infrastructures to Russian regions, as well as to China and Mongolia.
The Transarctic Corridor is a route connecting the eastern and western parts of Russia, the ports of St. Petersburg and Vladivostok, through the North Seas, the ports of Murmansk and Arkhangelsk, designed to connect the world's industrial, agricultural, energy centers and consumer markets with a shorter, safer and economically profitable route.
About the forum
The 10th Eastern Economic Forum took place in Vladivostok from September 3 to 6 under the theme "The Far East: Cooperation for Peace and Prosperity." The Roscongress Foundation was the event's organizer, with TASS as its general information partner.