Russia Uses Northern Sea Route to Ship Cargo to Bangladesh
Russia has over time had high ambitions for the development of the Northern Sea Route, setting a target on transporting 80 million tonnes along the route by 2024. (Photo: Rosatom)
On Tuesday, the nuclear-powered container ship Sevmorput departed from the port of St. Petersburg with cargo to be delivered in Bangladesh. The voyage is planned to take about 25 days.
The nuclear-powered container carrier Sevmorput will deliver cargo for the Rooppur nuclear power plant (NPP) in Bangladesh, the communications department of Rosatomflot said on Tuesday, reported by TASS.
Icing is actively underway in the Northern Sea Route (NSR) area, but the ship's performance characteristics enable it to sail the route without the assistance of icebreakers, Rosatomflot CEO Mustafa Kashka said.
"Our ship has the unique transport potential," master of the container carrier Sergey Bralgin said, and added:
"We are independent and capable of taking onboard oversize and heavyweight cargo, making it possible to reduce the number of ships involved in seaborne transportation. The nuclear-powered container ship is equipped with cranes and can independently unload to an unprepared berth. We mastered this operation when working on the collar ice”.
The navigation distance via the NSR from a Northwest-European port to the Far East is approximately 40 percent shorter compared to the route via the Suez Canal.
Russia has over time had high ambitions for the development of the NSR, setting a target on transporting 80 million tonnes along the route by 2024.
