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Putin wants Russian ships on Arctic route

Moscow wants more shipping on the Northern Sea Route. But priority should be given to Russian-registered vessels.

Russian-registered ships should account for the bulk of trans-shipments along the Northern Sea Route, the president argues.

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Speaking to his National Security Council last week, Putin highlighted that at an economic development model for the Northern Sea Route must be elaborated and that cargo turnover on the route should amount to at least four million tons in 2015. He also stressed that Russian-registered vessels should account for the lion’s share of the Arctic shipments and called for the re-registration of company fleets, a transcript from the meeting reads.

As previously reported, Putin in the Security Council meeting highlighted the need to enhance military capacities in the Arctic, stressing that regional military infrastructure must be improved  and that oil installations must be protected “against terrorists and other potential threats”.

Russia has over the last couple of years given major priority to the development of the Northern Sea Route. In 2012, a Northern Sea Route administration was established under the country’s Ministry of Transport and a special decree on rules and regulations on route shipments was elaborated and approved in 2013.

As previously reported by BarentsObserver, a total of 1,35 million tons of cargo was transported transit on the Northern Sea Route in 2013, an increase of 7,5 percent from 2012. The number of vessels taking the route in 2013 were 71, which was a 54 percent increase year-on-year.