A new record was set on the North Sea Route (NSR) in 2023, with cargo traffic reaching 36.254 mn tons, surpassing the target by over 250,000 tons. There was also an increase in transit. This was reported by the press service of Rosatom.

'The record figures were achieved thanks to our partners, primarily Novatek, whose liquefied natural gas accounts for more than half of the cargo traffic,' said Alexey Likhachev, General Director of Rosatom. 'Gazprom Neft, Lukoil and Nornickel, which redirected their cargoes from the western to the eastern direction, also played a big role. As a result, we achieved our target of 36 mn tons before the end of the year.'

In December, Evgeny Petrov, head of the Federal Subsoil Use Agency, confirmed at a press conference in Murmansk that oil and gas companies are maintaining their exploration and production plans. Specifically, by 2030, it is anticipated that 57 mn tons of hydrocarbons will be transported via the NSR: approximately 20 mn tons of oil, 4 mn tons of gas condensate and 32 mn tons of liquefied natural gas. Additionally, a significant increase in copper and coal shipments is expected.

China is also showing considerable interest in the NSR.