HARBIN, October 14. /TASS/. The volume of container freight traffic between Russia and China along the Northern Sea Route (NSR) is expected to set a record and exceed 400,000 tons this year, Chief Executive Officer of Russia’s state corporation Rosatom Alexey Likhachev told reporters.

"A new record in container shipping cargo volumes will definitely be set. Last year less than 180,000 tons [were carried] while this year [the volume of container freight traffic] will most likely exceed 400,000 tons," he said following the second meeting of the sub-commission on NSR cooperation of the Russian-Chinese commission for preparation of regular meetings of heads of government.

Not only the quantity but also the volume of transported cargo will more than double this year, the chief executive added.

The second meeting of the sub-commission on cooperation on the NSR of the Russian-Chinese commission for preparation of regular meetings of heads of government was held in Harbin on October 14, after which an action plan for further development of shipping along the Northern Sea Route was agreed on. The development and approval of the plan are aimed at creating a sustainable transport corridor. Cooperation entails the implementation of modern logistics and technological solutions to improve transportation efficiency and develop capital projects.

The Northern Sea Route is a shipping route and the main sea line in the Russian sector of the Arctic Ocean. It stretches along Russia’s northern coastline across the seas of the Arctic Ocean (Barents, Kara, Laptev, East Siberian, Chukchi, and Bering seas). The route consolidates Russia’s European and Far Eastern ports and Siberia’s navigable rivers into a single transport system. The route’s length is 5,600 km, stretching from the Kara Strait to Providence Bay. In 2024, the volume of freight transported along the NSR reached a record of almost 37.9 mln tons, which is 1.6 mln tons higher than in the previous year.