It is necessary to expand the existing logistics routes and open new corridors for cargo operations to implement transport projects as a means of support for business initiatives and in general for the economy of the Arctic and the Far East, Vladimir Putin said at the plenary session of the 8th Eastern Economic Forum, according to IAA PortNews correspondent.
The President emphasized the priority of the Northern Sea Route (NSR) development. “In the next few years, the cargo traffic on this global transport corridor will only grow, which requires prioritising the construction of a modern icebreaker fleet, as well as upgrading Arctic ports and their infrastructure,” he said.
By 2030, the general capacity of seaports in the Arctic waters is expected to double. While last year, this capacity stood at 123 million tonnes, by the end of the decade it is expected to reach 252 million tonnes, in part thanks to the construction of new terminals and the expansion of railway access. By 2027, we plan to substantially ramp up the capacity of the Murmansk port, from 56 to 110 million tonnes per year, said Vladimir Putin.
The President also said the modernization of the Baikal-Amur Mainline and the Trans-Siberian Railway would continue. “Certainly, the pace needs to be stepped up, including through concessions and by attracting private capital for the construction of bridges, tunnels and overpasses. We have just discussed this matter with moderators of the respective sessions,” he said.
Vladimir Putin reminded about the construction, thanks to the initiative of private investors, of the Pacific Railway and a new port on the Sea of Okhotsk.
According to an earlier report of IAA PortNews, the project on construction of a private railway, the Pacific Railway (investor - Elsi) is being implemented with 200 km already built. The railway will be 50 km long. There also be a terminal of 30 million tonnes in capacity with the first bulker to be handled in 2024.
“Our major companies are currently building a new port on Taimyr and modernising the Pangody-Nadym railway on Yamal. There are many such examples when businesses making long-term investment in logistics, transport, energy projects, construction of railways and motorways, sea terminals and airports. I would like to ask the Government and our colleagues in the regions to rely on this resource and make sure that both state and private investment create a synergetic effect for renewing the infrastructure and social facilities and for spatial development of regions and the country in general,” summarized the president.