Russia discusses Northern Sea Route shipping with India, Vietnam

Russia is holding active discussions with a number of companies from India and Vietnam regarding cargo transportation via the Northern Sea Route (NSR), Russian Transport Minister Andrey Nikitin told RIA Novosti.

“If we talk about international interest, the most concrete example here is China: their company, Sea Legend Shipping, is launching a regular container service from Ningbo across our Arctic territory directly to the port of Felixstowe in the United Kingdom,” Nikitin said.

He was responding to a question about other countries’ interest in shipping via the Northern Sea Route ahead of the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF).

“In addition, we are also holding active discussions with partners from India and Vietnam,” he added.

The Northern Sea Route is a unique and strategic shipping lane that stretches along Russia’s northern coast.

At present, the need to utilise the Northern Sea Route is growing, not only among Russian shipowners but also among foreign shipowners.

This interest is driven not only by the fact that the route is the shortest between Europe and Asia, but also by the unsafe situation in the waters of the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf.

The Eastern Economic Forum will be held from 1 to 4 September in Vladivostok.