India will build icebreakers for Russia—at the end of 2024, local authorities announced a new era in Indian shipbuilding. It is anticipated that four non-nuclear-powered Arctic-class vessels will be laid down in the foreseeable future. Media reports estimate the value of the contract at USD 750 mn. Alexander Vorotnikov, coordinator of the Expert Council at the Project Office for Arctic Development and Associate Professor at the ISS RANEPA, noted in his comments to Sputnik India that despite the lack of experience in icebreaker construction, Indian shipyards consistently demonstrate a high level of product quality. He pointed out that Rosatom specialists have already evaluated public and private shipyards in the country, commending the excellent training of specialists and technical equipment. The gross register tonnage (gt) of ships produced is expected to reach 69 mn units by 2026 and increase to 81 mn by 2030. According to the Global Shipbuilding Market Report 2024, the global shipbuilding market is projected to grow at an average rate of 6.5% from USD 207.15 bn in 2023 to USD 220.52 bn in 2024. By the way, the Asia-Pacific Region performed the best in 2023.

The new ships will be one aspect of global cooperation between India and Russia in the Arctic. Pacific partners are interested in minerals for the country's growing economy and international transportation of goods—India's Arctic Strategy, published in 2022, indicates that the country, building on its growing economic potential, is willing to participate in establishing transportation links across northern waters. The document emphasises that this initiative could significantly reduce the cost of essential cargo needed by the country. According to Irina Strelnikova, an expert from the Higher School of Economics, we are talking about the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) and the Vladivostok-Chennai route. India is set to become a participant in Arctic cargo transportation bypassing the Suez Canal. An important step was taken at the last Eastern Economic Forum—Indian sailors will be trained to navigate ships in harsh Arctic conditions.

In addition to economics, Indians are interested in ecology. A significant portion of the country's population lives in coastal areas, and melting Arctic sea ice, which triggers a rise in global sea levels, could have a direct impact on the lives of millions of people. In 2024, Indian scientists are discussing with the AARI the possibility of a comprehensive study of the Arctic with foreign participation. In the future, this may lead to the permanent presence of Indian specialists both as part of Russian expeditions and conducting their own research. In particular, a Memorandum of Cooperation in the field of scientific research and logistics in polar regions between the AARI and the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research of the Ministry of Earth Sciences of the Government of India was already signed in the summer. It is based both on the long-term plans of the powers and on the positive experience of cooperation in Antarctica. The Russian and Indian stations have been located side by side, helping each other for many years. The first practical stage of expanding cooperation was the Russian-Brazilian expedition to Antarctica, to which Indian scientists were invited.

On the other side of the globe, in the Russian Arctic, Indians are still only preparing to conduct large-scale research. Business is currently ahead of the scientists—last year, the Indian company SAAFARM began building a pharmaceutical production facility in the Murmansk Region. The investment volume will amount to RUB 10 bn, and the potential capacity will be 1.3 bn units of medicines (1.8 thousand tons) per year. In the future, the investor plans to expand it to 6 thousand tons. The production facility will create 280 jobs. In the future, an increase in the number of foreign investors is expected—with the growing cooperation between India and Russia on the North Sea Route, a large number of opportunities for Arctic development are bound to emerge.

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