Rosatom and logistics operator Newnew Shipping Line have dispatched the first cargo along the North Sea Route Express No. 1 route. A train departed from a logistics terminal near Moscow for Arkhangelsk, where containers were transferred to a Chinese vessel bound for Shanghai.

The route spans 1,200 km by land and 6,600 nautical miles by sea. The transport company aims to complete the journey in 20–25 days, twice as fast as via the Suez Canal. Four voyages are planned for August, with Chinese operators intending to make 12 trips from Arkhangelsk to Shanghai, Ningbo and Tianjin during the 2024 navigation season, transporting over 20,000 containers. This was reported by RG.

To swiftly integrate the 'dry port' into North Sea Route plans, experts suggest developing a strategy for the Yekaterinburg logistics hub and establishing a management company. The next step involves creating a programme for constructing key infrastructure and providing advanced personnel training, according to Nikolay Pegin, CEO of Atom-ASEZ. The mineral resources in the Yekaterinburg–Yamal transport corridor alone amount to 147 tn tons of natural gas, 23 bn tons of condensate, and 1 bn tons of brown and hard coal. Additionally, locally produced consumer goods will provide further cargo.

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