On June 7, at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Rosatom Director General Alexey Likhachev, the Minister for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic Alexey Chekunkov, Governor — Chairman of the Government of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug Vladislav Kuznetsov signed a cooperation agreement under a pilot project to establish a single maritime northern delivery operator.
The document’s main purpose is to practice a mechanism for regular cost-effective cargo shipping in the northern delivery area.
In accordance with the Federal Law “On Northern Delivery,” the operator is supposed to ensure regular domestic shipping of essential cargo between seaports at preferential rates. The cargo list was approved by Order of the Government of the Russian Federation N 3462-р dated December 2, 2023. The routes and schedules of voyages based on the operator’s proposals are subject to the approval of the northern delivery federal coordinator (the Ministry of Eastern Development of Russia).
Alexey Likhachev emphasized: “In the pilot launch of the single marine service we give priority to the absolute reliability of supplies and stabilized cost of northern cargo shipping. As a side note Rosatom always takes on the most challenging tasks, that’s why we are starting up our pilot in one of the most difficult regions, both in terms of logistics and natural conditions. It takes a non-trivial approach to arrange for the northern cargo shipping in Chukotka while with this task accomplished we will use this practice in all regions interested in such a service.”
Alexey Chekunkov noted: “Northern delivery means, first of all, complex, multi-stage logistics under harsh ice conditions. The majority of vital cargo is delivered by water, while shipments to certain areas are only limited to a few weeks a year. In order to ensure regular supplies, the President instructed to include the provisions for the startup of a single maritime northern delivery operator from January 1, 2026. The pilot project completed in Chukotka, as the region most dependent on a short navigation season, in 2025, will afford the most accurate arrangement of the service.”
Vladislav Kuznetsov said: “We see the cooperation agreement with Rosatom as a serious step towards an improved system of cargo delivery to Chukotka. I would like to highlight two main aspects. First, there will be a corresponding fleet to deliver cargo needed in the Okrug and we will have a 3-year planning horizon. The second aspect is the logistics costs. The three-year agreement provides for annual adjustment of the freight cost considering only the inflation rate. That is, we will not only stabilize the delivery system, we will also stabilize the price. Actually, Rosatom is to take over all logistics from cargo loading onto the ship to its unloading. Positive changes in Chukotka are to be seen as early as in 2025.”
Reference
Federal Law No. 411-FZ of 4 August 2023 “On Northern Delivery” aimed at creating legal
and organizational framework therefore, came into force on 1 April 2024.
One of the law articles provides for the establishment of a single maritime operator for northern delivery — a legal entity authorized by the Government of the Russian Federation to ensure regular domestic shipping of northern delivery cargo between seaports.
The Ministry of Eastern Development acts as the northern delivery federal coordinator. The main purpose of the law is to ensure regular supplies of essential goods to the Far North such as fuel, food, medicine, building materials and others.
In 2018, the Government of the Russian Federation appointed Rosatom the infrastructure operator for the Northern Sea Route (NSR). In December 2019, the Government of the Russian Federation approved the NSR Infrastructure Development Plan until 2035 prepared by Rosatom. One of Rosatom’s strategic goals is to make the Northern Sea Route an effective transport artery connecting Europe, Russia and the Asia-Pacific region.
St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) a major event in the CIS economic space. SPIEF 2024 theme: “The basis of multipolarity is the formation of new growth centers.” The forum participants are expected to discuss the prospects for the development of healthcare and pharmaceuticals, modern labor market, new technologies, development of the Arctic and the Northern Sea Route and much more besides. Rosatom is the SPIEF 2024 title partner.
The integrated development of the Russian Arctic is a national strategic priority. To increase the NSR traffic intensity is of paramount importance for fulfillment of the tasks set in the cargo shipping. This logistics corridor is being developed due to regular cargo transportation, construction of new nuclear icebreakers and modernization of the relevant infrastructure. Rosatom is actively involved in this work.
