Nuclear-powered lighter carrier Sevmorput completed its first regular voyage to the Far East
The nuclear-powered lighter carrier Sevmorput successfully returned to Murmansk and completed the programme of the first round-trip coaster envisaged by the North Sea Route Development Plan to 2035. The ship delivered 21 containers of fish, machinery and drilling equipment to the capital of the Kola Peninsula.
16 August 2022The lighter carrier travelled the St. Petersburg – Murmansk – Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky – Murmansk route according to the established timetable. No costly icebreaker escort was required to navigate through the Arctic waters. Sevmorput has sufficient ice class to enable it to navigate the NSR on its own at this time of year. Alexander Stotsky, General Director of the Project Office for Arctic Development, talks about this.
Transport volumes are still small, but this is understandable. The world's only nuclear-powered lighter carrier sails on the NSR are in test mode, supported by the government through subsidy mechanisms. New logistics schemes need to be created and tested for connecting supply and demand in the regions and connecting different cargoes, as well as for building a service system. The second of the two voyages planned for this year will be organised in September.
Launching a sustainable and workable model for cargo transport on the NSR is one of the priorities for the development of the Russian Arctic. A regular cabotage line linking the Far East and the Northwest will eventually relieve the load on the railways by taking over some of their freight traffic.