Evgeniy Ambrosov makes a report at the conference “International Cooperation in the Arctic: New Challenges and Vectors of Development”
On October 12-13 the Conference titled “International Cooperation in the Arctic: New Challenges and Vectors of Development” was held in Moscow by Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC) with the support of the Executive Office of the Government of Russia and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, SCF reminds.
Heads of ministries, business and international organizations took part in the conference. Among them were Dmitry Rogozin, Deputy Prime Minister of Russia, representative of the RF Government, Chairman of the State Commission for Arctic Development of Russia; Sergey Ivanov, Special Representative of the President of Russia for Environmental Protection, Ecology, and Transport; Artur Chilingarov, Special Representative of the President of Russia for International Cooperation in the Arctic and Antarctic, Member of the State of Duma of Russia;Igor Ivanov, President of the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC), Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences;Vladimir Barbin, Senior Arctic Official of Russia at the Arctic Council, Ambassador-at-Large of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia;Mikko Hautala, Ambassador of Finland to Russia; and Frederik Paulsen, traveler, founder of The Paulsen Publishing Company and Honorary Member of the Association of Polar Explorers of Russia.
At the plenary session of the conference devoted to the role of the Arctic Council in ensuring peace, cooperation, and sustainable development in the Arctic, Evgeniy Ambrosov, Vice Chair of the Arctic Economic Council, Senior Executive Vice-President of PAO Sovcomflot, spoke. His report was about the principles of the Arctic Council work and its key tasks. Evgeniy Ambrosov reminded that a decision to form the Arctic Council was made in 2013 and unanimously upheld by all eight member-states of the Arctic Council, including Russia, USA and Canada. Already in 2014 the Arctic Economic Council was formed in Iqaluit (Canada) and in a year its permanent Secretariat was officially opened in Tromsø (Norway).
The Council includes 42 business representatives of member-states that gives opportunity for a maximum open dialogue. Evgeniy Ambrosov pointed out that the Council mission is to support the sustainable development of economy and business in the Arctic. The members of the Arctic Economic Council discuss current issues of transport, energetics, extraction of minerals, fishing industry, development of small and middle-sized enterprises in the Arctic and other areas of economy.
Evgeniy Ambrosov pointed out five important issues, which are top-priority for the Arctic Economic Council now. First, it is a creation of inseparable and sustainable business relations between the Arctic countries. “Secondly, we help to introduce stable rules and norms complying with the highest standards concerning a regulation of business activity” – Evgeniy Ambrosov said.
The third issue of the Council activity is a development of public and private partnership especially concerning the area of infrastructure investments. “The forth issue that defines further focus of our work includes an establishment of closer and sustainable ties between business and science. Information exchange is a pledge to create a reliable ground for the sustainable economic growth”, - Evgeniy Ambrosov said. The fifth area of focus is a development of small and middle-sized enterprises in the Arctic.
Evgeniy Ambrosov specially stated the task to improve the legal framework for safe navigation in the Arctic that is discussed by the members of the Arctic Economic Council. He pointed out that the work of navy in the Arctic has certain risks: ice-bound conditions, information shortage about depth of the Arctic seas, shortage of qualified personnel and lack of vital skills concerning ice channeling of large-capacity vessels. Moreover, one of the key priority for shipping companies working in polar latitudes is to be a compliance with the highest norms of environmental safety.
That is why substandard shipping is unacceptable in harsh Arctic conditions and compliance with quality and navigation standards in polar latitudes is to be additionally controlled. Evgeniy Ambrosov also stated that a good ground for improvement of the legal navigation framework in the Arctic is experience gathered by the Russian navigation companies, including Sovcomflot, in the framework of such major industrial navigation projects as Prirazlomnoe, Varandey, and Novy Port.
PAO Sovcomflot (SCF Group) is one of the world's leading shipping companies, specialising in the transportation of crude oil, petroleum products, and liquefied gas, as well as servicing offshore upstream oil and gas installations and equipment. The Group’s fleet comprises 153 vessels with a total deadweight over 13 million tonnes. The company is registered in St. Petersburg with offices in Moscow, Novorossiysk, Murmansk, Vladivostok, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, London, Limassol, and Dubai.
The Group offers a wide range of vessels in the market segments most demanded by major Russian oil and gas companies. With its own technical development and unique approach to advanced technologies, Sovcomflot has the ability to meet the most demanding customer requirements, providing effective transportation for oil & gas companies.
