MOSCOW, April 22. /TASS/. The total tonnage of ships under the Russian flag surged more than twofold during the last 24 months and reached almost 20 mln metric tons, department director at the Ministry of Transport Vitaly Klyuev said.
"The overall tonnage of ships flying the Russian flag reached almost 20 mln tons and is expected at the level of 30 mln tons by the end of 2026. According to estimates, up to 1,000 ships can be in the queue for the transition to the national flag, mainly large tankers," Klyuev said, cited by the ministry.
Operations under the Russian flag are viewed as safer in the current conditions, the ministry said. "This is particularly important because the main target of unfriendly actions are ships carrying Russian cargoes but not using the Russian state flag," the ministry added.