Russia announces the arrival of the first merchant ship from China along the Arctic sea route

The ship left Shanghai and sailed along the northern Russian coast to the port of Arkhanguelsk (in Russia’s far north) before arriving at Baltisk in the Kaliningrad region, a Russian enclave at the gates of the European Union. Alijanov announced that his final destination was Saint Petersburg (northwest), the former Russian imperial capital.

Russia hopes that this route, which has become more feasible due to global warming and melting ice, will one day be able to compete with Europe. Suez Canal, especially in hydrocarbon trading. “It will be cheaper and faster than the Suez Canal,” Alijanov said.

Russia’s desire to develop trade through this sea route has become even more important for the Kremlin. With the adoption of a series of economic sanctions as a result of the invasion of Ukraine.

The importance of the first boat Russian arctic route It represents the beginning of relevant changes, both from a geostrategic point of view and due to environmental consequences. From the first perspective, this concerns the new pole of international relations between China and Russia. Global warming facilitates the economic activities of countries further north, and the Arctic region, which has increasingly longer melting periods, is an example of this.

Russian nuclear agency Rosatomannounced in the same year that it had a fleet of atomic icebreakers ready to regulate the use of the Arctic route. There are already talks with oil companies to redirect Russian crude oil from Baltic Sea ports to the Northern Sea Route (NMR), which passes through the Russian Arctic, to better transport Russian crude to Asia. The Chinese, on the other hand, want to deliver their products to Russia by sea and even reach Northern European ports in the future.

The embargo imposed by European countries on the supply of Russian oil and petroleum products has opened a new window of opportunity for the transportation of more goods through the North Pole.

Saving

The Arctic Route was launched by Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2011 but was considered a medium or long-term project. This new commercial corridor was not expected to be operational until 2035, so today’s announcement means an acceleration of deadlines. Any ship must travel 10,600 kilometers to reach the north from Murmansk, Russia, to the port of Shanghai, China; If he chooses to cross the Suez Canal, he will have to travel 17,700 kilometers. In addition, while the journey via Suez takes an average of 35 days, the artery supported by Russia means a saving of 10-12 days per ship. This means savings of up to 500 million euros per year thanks to lower carbon dioxide emissions. . Although this is a theory, because Intensive use of the sea route could mean environmental disaster It’s hard to justify. The latest forecasts show that by the beginning of 2024, year-round navigation on the Arctic route will already be possible. If these predictions come true, approximately 80% of Russia’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) could be sent to China via this route.

Not only Russian companies but also companies from other BRICS countries are interested in the Northern Sea Route (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) and the Middle East, according to Rosatom. An economic bloc interested in the Northern Sea Route as a viable alternative to the Suez Canal would be strengthened around trade.