Since the beginning of this year’s navigation the vessels owned by MMC Norilsk Nickel have made 54 sailings on the Northern Sea Route as of October 1st, the company press release said. The ice-class ARC7 tanker Yenisey has made five voyages along the Arctic shortcut, the rest were dry bulk carriers. The vessels were escorted by icebreakers only in the beginning of the 2011-2012 winter season, the Company said.
MMC Norilsk Nickel, a company incorporated under the laws of the Russian Federation, is the largest diversified mining and metals company in Russia, the world's largest producer of nickel and palladium and one of the world's largest producers of platinum, rhodium, copper and cobalt. In addition to this, MMC Norilsk Nickel produces a large number of other by-products, including gold, silver, tellurium, selenium, iridium and ruthenium. The key production units of the Company’s group in Russia are at the Taimyr and Kola Peninsulas. MMC Norilsk Nickel international assets include operations in Finland, Australia, Botswana and South Africa. MMC Norilsk Nickel’s shares are traded at MICEX-RTS. ADR’s on the Company’s shares are traded on the other the counter market in the US and at the London and Berlin stock exchanges.