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- Profitable without restrictions: foreign investors are growing interest in the Northern Sea Route
Profitable without restrictions: foreign investors are growing interest in the Northern Sea Route
The expansion of oil and gas production in the Arctic zone is spurring the interest of foreign companies in the Northern Sea Route (NSR). Against this background, foreign investors are ready to invest in the development of Arctic production projects and port infrastructure, the Ministry of Regional Development told Izvestia. In particular, the joint Russian-Emirati enterprise of Rosatom and DP World is preparing to invest in the construction of new infrastructure for the implementation of Eurasian transit. At the same time, the volume of cargo transportation remains at over 30 million tons, despite sanctions and logistical difficulties. About new investments and prospects for the development of the NSR — in the material of Izvestia.
New investments in the NSR
There is a growing interest in using the NSR among foreign countries. First of all, these are companies from China, India and other friendly countries that purchase Russian energy resources extracted in the Arctic region.
— The total volume of cargo transportation along the Northern Sea Route as of November 2025 is 33.5 million tons. The interest of foreign countries (China, India and others) in using the NSR as an international transport corridor is growing. In addition, foreign investors, cargo owners and consumers are considering the possibility of investing in the development of Arctic production projects and projects for the development of port infrastructure, the Ministry of Regional Development told Izvestia.
Intergovernmental Russian-Chinese and Russian-Indian commissions on the joint use of the NSR have been established and are currently operating. The parties hold meetings and exchange business missions. The key interest in the Northern Sea Route is due to its length — it is almost 40% shorter than the traditional sea route between St. Petersburg and Vladivostok via the Suez Canal (14.2 km instead of 23.2 km), which significantly reduces travel time and fuel costs — travel time is reduced by 15-20 days (almost twice).
The Northern Sea Route is a shipping route running through the Arctic Ocean along the Arctic coast of Russia. It is the shortest sea route connecting Europe and the Asia-Pacific region.
In addition to Asian companies, Arab partners are showing interest in investing. In particular, earlier Rosatom, together with DP World (United Arab Emirates), created the International Container Logistics LLC, which is engaged in the development of Eurasian logistics and transit container transportation along the NSR. The goal is to create a container line and hub ports for the transit of goods along the Arctic route. To do this, the parties are working on a new investment agreement, the Ministry of Regional Development explained.
— The preparation of the investment solution necessary for the transition to the stage of construction of the project infrastructure is underway. At the same time, the parameters of the supporting infrastructure of the future container line in terms of transport and logistics hubs and a fleet of container ships are being clarified, as well as the potential volume of the cargo base is being updated, the department said.
The United Arab Emirates is actively investing in logistics projects in general and in projects related to the Russian Federation in particular, Alexander Frolov, Deputy Director of the National Energy Institute, reminded Izvestia. They see this as an opportunity to make money.
— The intention of UAE companies to invest in the NSR is, first of all, the desire to maximize the country's logistics and trade opportunities. As previous crises in the Middle East have shown, standard routes are losing their former stability and it is necessary to have a backup neutral option," orientalist Leonid Tsukanov told Izvestia.
In addition, the NSR is synchronized with the Chinese Arctic Silk Road (also known as the Northern Silk Road), and thus Abu Dhabi is integrated into global logistics corridors, the expert added. Specialists from other countries are involved in the construction of the NSR infrastructure. For example, the construction of a cargo transshipment complex in the Murmansk Region is being discussed jointly with Belarus. The estimated capacity of the port will be 25 million tons per year.
Any private companies that see this as an opportunity to make money can show interest in investing money in SMEs, Alexander Frolov believes. At the same time, in this case, the range of potential investors is limited to friendly countries, the expert says. Before the total sanctions wave, the EU countries could have been interested in using the NSR, the editor-in-chief of the analytical journal Geoenergetics said in a conversation with Izvestia. Info" Boris Martsinkevich.
Prospects for the development of the Northern Sea Route
Despite its promise, the sea route faces a number of problems that hinder the rapid increase in cargo turnover. Because of this, in particular, the final figures do not correspond to the planned indicators. So, in 2021, Vladimir Putin set the task to increase cargo turnover on the Northern Sea Route to 80 million tons in three years. At the same time, in 2024, after a wave of sanctions, cargo traffic along the NSR amounted to only 37.9 million tons.
In 2022, the government approved a development plan for the Northern Sea Route until 2035. It was assumed that by 2030 the cargo turnover should reach 150-190 million tons, and by 2035 - 220-260 million tons. Alexey Likhachev, the head of Rosatom, stated that the slowdown in transportation growth was due to the enormous sanctions pressure, which, according to him, only emphasized the importance of developing this area. However, the main obstacle to the full use of the route was the fact that, due to severe weather, it is open to most ships only in the summer and autumn period.
Rosatom is developing a year-round navigation model, which involves the use of expensive high-ice-class vessels, additionally they will be assisted by nuclear icebreakers. The construction of such vessels is expensive and time—consuming, but it will help dramatically increase cargo traffic. In 2023, the head of the Ministry for the Development of the Far East, Alexei Chekunkov, said that for the further development of the NSR in Russia, there are not enough icebreakers and their own production facilities to build them. "Everything depends on the year—round availability of the Northern Sea Route and the intensity of this year-round operation," says Alexander Frolov.
Other infrastructure also requires serious improvements, including an increase in the emergency rescue fleet and the number of strongholds along the sea route, Boris Martsinkevich notes. Having such an infrastructure can attract both customers and investors.
— Such a development is possible if we return cargo turnover to our great Siberian rivers. In this case, there will be an additional reference point and the possibility of cargo turnover: not only gas and oil, but also a number of other goods, such as coal, the expert believes.
On the other hand, the potential growth and attractiveness of the NSR in the future are based on the expansion of production and extraction of oil, coal and liquefied natural gas in the Arctic zone. In addition to existing fields such as Prirazlomnoye, Novy Port, and the Yamal LNG and Arctic LNG-2 plants, there are plans to produce liquefied natural gas and increase oil production, Frolov recalls.
— The Vostok Oil project is also being implemented in the Arctic zone and should be partially operational in 2026. This is the largest oil production project on the planet. According to Rosneft's plans, it is meant to increase its production to 100 million tons, which is 20% of the total in Russia, the expert believes.
The greater the production and extraction of energy resources, the more potential customers there will be for the operation of the Northern Sea Route, the expert concluded.
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