Latest news with #NorthernSeaRoute
Reuters
7 days ago
- Business
- Reuters
Russia's Rosatom expects boom in foreign vessels using Arctic shipping route
MOSCOW, May 30 (Reuters) - Russia expects a 50% rise in voyages by foreign vessels using the Northern Sea Route (NSR) along its Arctic coast this year, which Moscow sees as an alternative to the Suez Canal, state-controlled nuclear energy firm Rosatom told Reuters on Friday. Rosatom runs a fleet of icebreakers and is in charge of operations along the NSR, which connects Russian ports with China during the summer months, saving vessels up to 10 days at sea compared to traveling via the Suez Canal. Moscow is promoting the route as a way of avoiding sailing close to the borders of European Union member states at a time of mounting geopolitical tensions. "There is a clear upward trend in international interest in the NSR ... In 2025, foreign companies are expected to conduct at least 1.5 times more voyages through the NSR compared to the previous year," the company told Reuters in emailed comments. As of May 27, a total of 196 applications have been submitted for vessel navigation along the NSR, including vessels sailing under foreign flags, Rosatom said, adding that summer-autumn navigation will be open from July 1 to November 30. A record volume of nearly 38 million metric tons of various goods, including oil and liquefied natural gas, was shipped along the route last year, the company said. However, the NSR presents a massive challenge for ships due to thick ice in winter, and navigation is restricted to warmer months. Long dominated by vessels managed by Russian shipping giant Sovcomflot, Azerbaijan-based Vista Vvave Shipmanagement was among companies using the NSR for the first time last year.
Telegraph
28-05-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Inside Britain's mission to deny Russia control of the Arctic
Russia's 200-metre long floating dock was meant to help Moscow control the Arctic seas. In service, the vast craft will assist in repairing nuclear-powered ice-breakers, needed to cleave safe passage through the frozen waters around Nato's northern flank. But the journey of the craft to its home in the Russian port of Murmansk has been interrupted by British sanctions, the Foreign Office announced on Tuesday. The newly designated Vengery tugboat – due to tow the dock out of Istanbul – has returned to Russia, 'leaving the floating dock stranded in the Mediterranean'. The announcement will have put a spring in the step of David Lammy, the Foreign Secretary, who on Tuesday began a visit to Norway and Iceland, Britain's two nearest Arctic neighbours. 'The Arctic is fast becoming an area of intense focus for geopolitical competition – and a key flank of Nato's defences. Russia has been building up its military presence here for years,' Mr Lammy told The Telegraph. The Foreign Secretary will observe British and Norwegian ships carrying out joint patrols before announcing an artificial intelligence scheme with Iceland aimed at detecting hostile vessels. 'And as ice caps in the region melt, new shipping routes and resources will be exposed, further heightening the risk of confrontation,' he said. 'That's why we must take action to deter threats in the Arctic.' Moscow is stepping up its campaign to dominate the Northern Sea route, which – when not frozen over – nearly halves the distance ships must travel between Europe and Asia. It is seeking to procure more of the nuclear-powered ice-breakers capable of unblocking the route far from its coasts. And Vladimir Putin has invested heavily in his prized Northern Fleet, which possesses 18 nuclear-powered submarines and warships now equipped with hypersonic missiles. The Russian dictator 'got the drop' over Nato with 'a decade of remilitarisation' in the Arctic before the war in Ukraine began, says Ed Arnold, a senior research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, a London-based think tank. Russia has peppered its Arctic regions with new military bases, upgraded the Northern Fleet to replace ageing Soviet craft, and invested in hypersonic, highly precise cruise missiles like the Tsirkon, whose 1,000km (621-mile) range brings Western targets into play. However, the war in Ukraine has stretched the Russian military and it is now 'so much weakened it's almost giving Nato a 'get out of jail free' card,' says Mr Arnold. 'If you invest and take this seriously now, you could potentially ensure supremacy in the Arctic' for the long term, he adds. Together, Norway and the UK form the front line against any Russian attempt to enter the waters of the North Atlantic, from where its vessels could sever transatlantic supply lines – and threaten population centres. In recent years, Moscow has stepped up patrols across the Arctic, accusing Nato of provoking the Kremlin with increased exercises in northern Norway. Like the Russian jets that fly along the edge of UK airspace, triggering a rapid reaction deployment from the RAF, the Russian navy conducts regular military exercises in the Arctic's non-territorial waters. Recent incidents have involved Russian ships sailing dangerously close to Norwegian vessels without warning them in advance over the radio. After the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Moscow is now said to have a greater risk appetite in the Arctic, and is willing to push its strained relationship with Nato countries to its limit. Posturing That approach is described as 'overt posturing', designed as a show of force to the Western countries that operate within the Arctic circle. One recent development, surely prompted by Russia's success with drones in Ukraine, is to send unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) along its 124-mile border with Norway. The harsh Arctic territory would make it difficult for Russia to send tanks over the border in any great numbers, but drones can operate from the skies with a far smaller footprint than fast jets or ships. The alliance's response to Russia's sabre-rattling has been to step up the military collaboration between the UK and Norway. In a Nato training exercise in the Arctic Circle earlier this month, both countries' navies took part in drills showcasing the ability to shoot down Russia's latest cruise missiles. In Oslo, politicians have proposed a 12-year plan to increase defence spending in light of Russian aggression, and bought new anti-drone and anti-submarine technology. Meanwhile, the UK has deployed its new P-8 Poseidon 'sub hunter' planes, and is sharing defence technology and platforms with the Norwegian military. But in order to truly deter Putin, analysts are calling for a stepped-up presence both in the seas and on land. There is speculation that Labour's forthcoming Strategic Defence Review will result in British forces being permanently stationed in the Arctic, with a standing force modelled on that already deployed in Estonia. The West's navies also need to shift from holding high-profile exercises to continuous operations, says Mr Arnold. That requires more ships. 'What is actually going to worry Putin more will be the fact that - in three or four years' time - the general operational activity in the High North [Nato's term for the Arctic] has increased four-fold and continues to increase. That's what actually builds deterrence.' 'You need naval ships, of course,' adds Per Erik Solli, a retired Norwegian Air Force colonel and analyst at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs. 'You need submarines and you need fighter jets, such as the F-35, that are capable of carrying anti-ship equipment. 'The number one priority in Norway is our navy.'
IOL News
07-05-2025
- Science
- IOL News
South African teens invited to apply for Arctic Expedition on world's most powerful icebreaker
The beauty of the Arctic during the fifth expedition "Icebreaker of Knowledge". South African teenagers have the rare opportunity to journey to the North Pole aboard a Russian nuclear icebreaker as part of Rosatom's prestigious 'Icebreaker of Knowledge' programme. The 2025 edition of this Arctic expedition is now open for applications, and learners aged 14 to 16 from South Africa, Namibia, Ghana, and Egypt are encouraged to apply. Organised by Rosatom, Russia's state nuclear energy company, the programme is an international educational initiative that brings together teenagers from across Africa, Latin America, and Eurasia to explore scientific innovation in one of the planet's most remote regions. Since its inception six years ago, the project has seen more than 350 students participate, with last year's expedition including one of the first South African learners to ever reach the geographic North Pole. In 2025, the expedition holds added significance as it coincides with both the 80th anniversary of Russia's nuclear industry and the 500th anniversary of the Northern Sea Route — milestones that symbolise both scientific progress and centuries of exploration. Participants will travel aboard 50 Лет Победы (50 Years of Victory), the most powerful nuclear-powered icebreaker in the world. The vessel was named to commemorate half a century since the Soviet Union's victory in World War II — a deeply symbolic gesture connecting the themes of resilience, innovation, and national pride. Built by Russia's historic Baltic Shipyard and commissioned in 2007, 50 Let Pobedy is the flagship of Rosatom's nuclear icebreaker fleet. The icebreaker is a technical marvel. It is powered by two nuclear reactors generating a combined 75,000 horsepower and is capable of cutting through Arctic ice up to 2.8 metres thick.
The Hindu
22-04-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Exploring India's potential in the Arctic region
Global trade is swinging like a pendulum, with potential headwinds from the U.S. nudging each nation to start doubling down on alternate trade strategies. In such a scenario, partnerships around supply chains and trade routes are expanding based not only on the current fracturing of regional blocs, but also on climate change. The frozen frontier of the Arctic serves as a canary in the coal mines for the impending climate catastrophe. It also serves as the source of great geopolitical leverage as sea levels continue to rise and new trade routes emerge. The Arctic reflects a critical energy source for the Global South in the years to come. While not recklessly exploiting the Arctic reserves, India should also get a say in the commercial opportunity for the unseen future. The dying canary signals new trade routes The September Arctic sea-ice is now shrinking at a rate of 12.2% per decade compared to its average extent during the period from 1981 to 2010 (NASA). This melting ice is also opening up access to a new trade route called the Northern Sea Route (NSR) in the Arctic, linking the Atlantic and the Pacific. This will exponentially transform global trade by shifting the flow of cargo and saving time and freight costs. The NSR is being hailed as the shortest route between Europe and Asia. India's long-term approach to exploring new mega ports and new routes — not just from an economic lens, but also from a strategic and geopolitical lens — makes the NSR crucial. The number of Observers at the Arctic Council outnumbers the number of Arctic states. This indicates the growing recognition of the vulnerability of existing trade routes to geopolitical tensions. India began its engagement with the Arctic early by signing the Svalbard Treaty in 1920 and is the only developing nation besides China that has an Arctic research base (Himadri). Last year, the Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development and the National Council of Applied Economic Research partnered to model how changes in the Arctic, specifically the loss of sea ice, could influence India's monsoon patterns and agricultural outputs. But to begin a timely action plan for the NSR, India's Arctic policy released in 2022 needs to be streamlined towards achieving its goals. India will need shipbuilding muscle to sail through the NSR's turbulent waters. The 2025-26 Budget set up a $3 billion Maritime Development Fund for the Shipping Ministry along with promoting shipbuilding clusters to increase the range, categories, and capacity of ships. Shipbuilding suited to Arctic requirements is key given that travel conditions would be quite harsh in the short-term. This means India needs to make adequate investments in ice-breaking fleets and other structural upgrades. There is an urgent need for India to engage in multilateral dialogue on capacity building, training requisites, and knowledge sharing. Could 2025 to be the year of action? This year, the Arctic Circle India Forum is taking place on May 3 and 4 in New Delhi. This should help contextualise the dialogue from an Asia- and India-focused lens. The forum should serve as an impetus to move the needle forward on India's well-thought-out Arctic policy with stakeholder consultations, the forging of partnerships, and perhaps the appointment of a 'polar ambassador' to present India's case internationally. As international cargo shipment on the NSR increased exponentially from 41,000 tonnes in 2010 to almost 37.9 million tonnes in 2024, India also needs to be cognisant of studies surfacing, such as in the scientific journal Nature Climate Change, showing that global temperatures in 2024 breached the 1.5°C mark above pre-industrial levels. This suggests that even a single month or year at 1.5°C global warming may signify that Earth is entering a long-term breach of the vital Paris Agreement threshold. How close to the sun should we fly so that we do not lose our commercial vantage point but also do not call for an expedited disaster in one of the most fragile ecosystems on the planet? This presents a pressing policy issue for India and echoes the need for like-minded allies. Playing with ice and fire With its vast Arctic coastline, extensive experience in Arctic navigation, and training of personnel, Russia is an obvious partner for India to explore the NSR. The decision to establish a working group on the NSR under the bilateral intergovernmental commission on trade, economic, scientific, technical, and cultural cooperation was made during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's summit meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow in July last year. Also, the Chennai-Vladivostok Maritime Corridor emerges as a potential bridge to the NSR ports such as Pevek, Tiksi, and Sabetta. However, if India inclines towards the Russian bloc, then it would be implying support to Chinese efforts, such as the Polar Silk Road which China is building as a northern extension of its Belt and Road Initiative. Not only would the NSR help China bypass the Malacca Strait chokepoint completely, but it would also give it much more control over the Arctic route. If India supports the Western bloc and partners with the U.S., it could lose its perceived potential stake in the massive resources that currently fall under Russian control in the area. The ideal but obviously challenging solution would be to find a way to work with both the U.S. and Russia. Other partners should include Japan and South Korea. Both countries share India's concerns about the growing cooperation between China and Russia in the Arctic and about their businesses losing out on Arctic opportunities to Chinese competitors. The trio should advocate the rectification of disparities within the Arctic Council and promote a more inclusive and equitable Council. Manash K. Neog, Managing Director of Chase APAC,a public policy and research consulting firm; Swati Sudhakaran, Senior Manager at Chase
Russia Today
26-03-2025
- General
- Russia Today
Russian Arctic forum city hosts ice breaker fire drill
A large-scale fire drill has taken place aboard a nuclear-powered icebreaker ahead of the International Arctic Forum. The two-day event is to be held in Murmansk, Russia – the world's largest city north of the Arctic Circle and home to a strategic port. The exercise, carried out by Russia's Emergencies Ministry, took place on Tuesday onboard the 'legendary' nuclear icebreaker Lenin, the ministry said in a statement. It was aimed at enhancing emergency preparedness in the Arctic's harsh climate, addressing the unique challenges posed by the region's extreme conditions. During the drill, a simulated fire erupted in the living quarters amid hazardous operations. The specially trained crew swiftly activated emergency protocols to combat the 200-square-meter blaze. Additionally, several crew members participated in a simulated rescue after entering the icy waters of the Kola Bay during the exercise. Firefighting units from the Murmansk garrison promptly responded to extinguish the blaze and rescue affected individuals. The exercise involved over 80 personnel and 15 units of equipment, including four watercraft. READ MORE: Northern Sea Route tops agenda at Russian Arctic forum Lenin is the world's first nuclear-powered ship. Entering service in 1959, it revolutionized Arctic navigation by enabling year-round operation along Russia's Northern Sea Route without the frequent refueling stops required by conventional diesel-powered icebreakers. The International Arctic Forum, co-organized by the Russian government and Rosatom, serves as a major platform for addressing the development of the polar region. Its abundant untapped energy and mineral resources, coupled with its strategic trade routes, have garnered heightened global interest.
