A proposal to establish a unified authority that would manage and oversee the project of development of the Northern Sea Route, consisting of three Russian Government’s ministries was announced at a meeting in Sabetta, Yamal, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Maxim Akimov, the Transport Ministry press release said.
Dmity Kobylkin, Minister of Natural Resources of Russia offered proposed the creation of a project office on the basis of the Ministry of Natural Resources, the Ministry of Energy and the Ministry of Transport of Russia.
Yuriy Tsvetkov, Deputy Minister of Transport, Director of Rosmorrechflot also reported at the meeting on the measures to develop the Northern Sea Route to increase cargo traffic on the shipping lane to 80 million tonnes by 2024. The official highlighted the importance, along with the creation of port infrastructure facilities, the construction of special ice class vessels, including icebreakers, and shared some updates on the joint project with Rosatom on the NSR navigation improvement issues, with a view of developing mutually acceptable solutions.
Following the results of the detailed report, he has urged to back the Ministry’s approaches to the NSR navigation development. The project is implemented in line with Russian President's decree on the Comprehensive Plan for modernization and expansion of the shipping lane Infrastructure and on the bill for transferring to Rosatom authority for managing the NSR. The bill had passed the first reading in the State Duma.