On 13 July, the
nuclear icebreaker Vaigach, operated by Atomflot (Rosatom’s subsidiary)
completed the first escort mission of the year at Cape Dezhnev. The icebreaker
provided assistance to a convoy heading east. The convoy included two tankers
delivering diesel and aviation fuel to the port of Lavrentiya.
This voyage marked the start of the program
for limited-time deliveries to the remote northern areas of the country as part
of the pilot project Unified Maritime Operator. Despite challenging ice
conditions in the eastern part of the Northern Sea Route, the convoy escort
began in the Kara Sea on July 3. The ships navigated the route successfully.
"The navigation started with the well-coordinated work of the crew of Atomflot nuclear icebreaker and the Headquarters of Maritime Operations of NSR General Administration FSBI, whose team provided timely recommendations to the crew while the icebreaker assisted the convoy on the route,” noted Yakov Antonov, Acting Director General of Atomflot. “Atomflot prioritizes northern deliveries during the summer and autumn navigation seasons," he said.
The
Northern Sea Route (NSR) is the shortest maritime route that connects western
Eurasia with the Asia-Pacific region. Administratively, the route starts at the
border between the Barents and Kara Seas (the Kara Gates strait) and ends at
the Bering Strait (Cape Dezhnev). The route is approximately 5,600 kilometers long.
It includes the seas of the Arctic Ocean, such as the Kara, Laptev, East Siberian,
and Chukchi seas. The NSR serves several ports of the Arctic and large rivers
of Siberia. There are six large ports along the NSR including Sabetta, Dixon,
Dudinka, Khatanga, Tiksi, and Pevek.
The Northern Delivery is a set of measures
and financial mechanisms for regular and unceasing supply of essential vital
cargo to territories related to the regions of the Far North, as well as
equivalent localities.
According to the order of the Government of
the Russian Federation dated March 13, 2025, Rosatom’s subsidiary was
designated as the single maritime operator of the Northern Delivery. The start
its activities is scheduled for January 1, 2026. The operator must carry out
regular cabotage transportation of vital cargo between sea ports at
preferential rates. The priority in developing the launch of a single maritime
operator is maintaining the reliability of supplies and stabilizing the cost of
transporting Northern Delivery cargo by sea. At the moment, a pilot project of
a single maritime operator of the Northern Delivery is being implemented in the
Chukotka Autonomous Okrug.
To ensure the navigation along the NSR,
icebreaker assistance is being organized. Russia is the only country in the
world with a nuclear icebreaker fleet. Today, the icebreaker fleet of Atomflot
(a company of Rosatom) consists of eight nuclear icebreakers. These include the
50 Let Pobedy, Vaigach, Yamal, and Taimyr nuclear icebreakers, as well as universal
nuclear icebreakers of project 22220: Arktika, Sibir, Ural, Yakutia. Under
construction: Chukotka (project 22220),
Leningrad (project 22220), the lead icebreaker Rossiya (project 10510). Preparations
are underway for the construction of the nuclear icebreaker Stalingrad (project
22220).
The comprehensive development of the Russian Arctic is a national strategic priority. To increase the NSR traffic is crucial for the successful fulfilment of the tasks set for cargo transportation and delivery. This logistics corridor is developing due to the organization of cargo shipping, construction of new nuclear icebreakers and modernization of the relevant infrastructure. Rosatom companies are actively involved in these efforts.
