HARBIN, October 14. /TASS/. The activity of cargo vessels on the Northern Sea Route (NSR) is steadily increasing, with the number of voyages having grown by 20% this year, Chief Executive Officer of Russia’s state corporation Rosatom Alexey Likhachev told reporters.

"Activity on the Northern Sea Route continues to increase, with the number of ship voyages having grown by 20% this year," he said following the second meeting of the sub-commission on cooperation on the Northern Sea Route (NSR) of the Russian-Chinese commission for preparation of regular meetings of heads of government.

"The NSR is actively used not only by participants in our Arctic projects but also by those involved in northern deliveries, international logistics, and transit," 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.