A unified maritime transport corridor will be established for cargo transportation between the seaports of the Northwestern and Far Eastern Federal Districts and for the transit of export cargo via the North Sea Route (NSR). The Russian Government, in collaboration with the Rosatom State Corporation and with the involvement of regional authorities, should provide proposals on this matter. This directive was issued following a meeting on the development of Far Eastern cities, presided over by Russian President Vladimir Putin. This is reported by the publication PortNews.

A report on the execution of the order must be submitted by 1 April 2024.

From the start of the season until the end of September 2023, transit traffic along the North Sea Route reached a volume of 1.5 mn tons. During this period, 57 transit voyages were made, with a slight predominance of eastbound voyages. The average duration for a North Sea Route passage was 12 days, with an average speed of 9 knots.

In August 2022, the Russian government approved a development plan for the NSR until 2035, which includes over 150 initiatives. The total funding amounts to approximately RUB 1.8 tn. As per the plan, the annual cargo flow through the NSR is expected to reach 220 tn tons by 2035.