At SPIEF 2023, Russian President Vladimir Putin pointed to the need to advance the development of rail and other infrastructure in the Murmansk transport hub and other Arctic ports. This is reported by TASS.

The Russian Federation will also continue building the icebreaker fleet, Putin noted. 'Such vessels are needed for the North Sea Route, which is actively developing. Last year, 34 mn tons of cargo passed through it,' he added.

'I would add that in the next five years, we will substantially renew the merchant fleet. The Ministry of Industry and Trade has already made changes to the ambitious construction programme. To implement it, we will raise funds from the National Welfare Fund. I would like to point out that under this programme alone, at least 260 vessels are to be built at Russian shipyards in 2023–2027,' said the Head of State speaking at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) on Friday.