Northern Sea Route: New freight traffic record in 2024.
Rosatom announced a new record for the Northern Sea Route in 2024, with almost 37.8 million tonnes of freight transportedsurpassing the previous record of 1.6 million tonnes. The year was also marked by a record number of 92 transit tripst, contributing to a total of 3 million tonnes of transit freight.
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The success of the Northern Sea Route was supported by the nuclear icebreaker fleet, which provided 976 icebreaker escorts as well as navigation and information support services for 72 ships. Alexey Likhachev, Director General of Rosatom, emphasized the importance of 2024, the year of the 65th anniversary of the nuclear icebreaker fleet, not only for cargo transportation records but also for strategic development in the Arctic.
The fuel of this boat is a great first in history since it can operate for 1 hour with 500 ml of water
Innovations and fleet expansion
In January 2024, Rosatom began construction of the icebreaker Leningrad, and in November the launch of the Chukotka marked another milestone. These vessels are part of Project 22220, a program to build nuclear-powered icebreakers, essential for the future of navigation on the Northern Sea Route. THE Chukotkameasuring 173 meters long and 34 meters wide, is designed to break ice up to three meters thick and can reach speeds of 22 knots in open water.
Long-term strategy and vision
Rosatom's long-term vision for the Northern Sea Route includes transforming the route into a major transport corridor connecting Kaliningrad to Vladivostokintegrating river and rail port infrastructures. This corridor aims to significantly reduce transportation time between Russia and Japanese ports compared to the Suez Canal route, going from approximately 37 days to 18 days.
International collaborations and future projects
In 2024, discussions took place with India and China regarding the potential of the road. In November, the first meeting of the Russian-Chinese subcommittee on cooperation for the Northern Sea Route was held, following an agreement of intent signed in June between Chinese companies and Rosatom to create a joint venture for shipbuilding and a year-round operational container line between Chinese and Russian ports.
Compared to global maritime traffic
The latest figures we have available are from 2023. In that year, global shipping experienced a recovery, with growth of 2.4% reaching a total volume of 12,292 million tonnes. The average distance traveled per tonne of goods continued to increase (evidence of current geopolitical tensions), increasing to 8,346 km in 2024. Containerized trade only experienced weak growth of 0.3% in 2023, but is expected to rebound with a forecast increase of 3.5% in 2024. Despite these positive figures, the sector still faces challenges, including disruptions in the Red Sea and the Panama Canal, which have contributed to a significant increase in freight costs in 2024. Traffic on the northern maritime route, if for the moment only represents 0.3% of global traffic, is definitely part of this logic of finding and exploiting new routes safe and fast trade.
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This article describes the successes and strategic developments on the Northern Sea Route in 2024, highlighting cargo traffic records, advancements in the nuclear icebreaker fleet and ambitious initiatives to transform this sea route into a corridor vital transport for Russia and its international trading partners.
Source : https://atommedia.online/en/reference/spravochnaya-informaciya-po-deyatelnos/
