Shipping transit traffic along the Arctic's Northern Sea Route (NSR) rose by 59% in 2021 compared with previous years.
Russia's Public Council of the Northern Sea Route, which was formed by state atomic agency Rosatom in 2019, logged over 2 million tonnes (mt) of traffic by 17 December 2021 compared with 1.3 mt in 2020.
It said the transit traffic figure has increased by more than 315% since 2018.
The council said shipments of raw materials, including iron-ore concentrate and timber, comprised the bulk of the international westbound trade with general and containerised cargo dominating eastbound shipments.
Viable corridor
Total traffic figures for the NSR also reach record highs in 2021 with 33.5 mt shipped as of 17 December compared with 33 mt in 2020. LNG carriers and oil tankers were the main movers here.
The council said the figure for the full year is expected to exceed 34 mt.
Rosatom's Northern Sea Route Directorate deputy director Maxim Kulinko said: "The latest traffic figures highlight how the NSR is growing in importance as a transit route."
Kulinko said 79 of the 92 vessels that transited the NSR in 2021 were non-Russian, which he claimed demonstrates how international partners are increasingly viewing the NSR as a viable transport corridor.
"As we expand seaport capacity along the route, we expect this growth trajectory to continue for many years to come," he added.
Russia has detailed a project to expand the use of the Arctic passage.
This aims to increase total NSR traffic to 80 mt by 2024 and 110 mt by 2030.
The capacity at seaports along the route is expected to expand to 110 mt by 2024 and 115 mt by 2030 to accommodate the higher levels of traffic.
Ice-breaker capacity
Rosatom has been the infrastructure operator of the NSR since 2018 and is tasked with opening up the Arctic passage for year-round navigation.
Among other aspects of its development plan for NSR, the state outfit is in the process of modernising its FSUE Atomflot's icebreaker fleet to support this.
Atomflot's most powerful nuclear-powered ice-breaker, the 60MW, 7.146-dwt Arktika (built 2020), has recently been deployed eastbound in the NSR to assist vessels that have been struggling in the heavy ice experienced in the region in the latter part of 2021.
A sistership ice-breaker, the 60MW Sibir (built 2021), was delivered to Atomflot in December.
Rosatom is also implementing several commercial projects related to the construction of its own cargo fleet and terminals, along with the development of technologies for the commercial production and transportation of hydrogen.
| Vessel name | Power | Build or planned delivery date |
| Taymyr | 31MW | 1989 |
| Yamal | 55MW | 1992 |
| 50 Let Pobedy | 50MW | 2007 |
| Artika | 60MW | 2020 |
| Sibir | 60MW | 2021 |
| Ural | 60MW | 2022 |
| Yakutia | 60MW | tbc |
| Chukotka | 60MW | tbc |
| Rossiya | 120MW | 2027 |
