At talks on widening maritime cooperation, India and Russia on Wednesday also discussed the possibility of exploring new transport corridors like the Northern Sea Route (NSR) and the Eastern Maritime Corridor (EMC) between Vladivostok and Chennai and both sides also agreed that Indian seafarers will be trained on Polar and Arctic waters at the Russian Maritime Training Institute in Vladivostok, which is equipped with simulators.
The Indian side was led by Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal and Russia by the Minister for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic A.O. Chekunkov. The meet was held on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum underway in the far-Eastern city of Vladivostok. He also visited the historic Vladivostok port.
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“India Russia Joint Maritime Commission to facilitate constructive discussion on various issues regarding development of the NSR,” Mr. Sonowal said in a statement issued by the Ministry. He said that India is keen to collaborate on a partnership regarding the development of the NSR recognising the potential it holds for enhanced connectivity and trade.
Strategic cooperation
“We remain committed to maintaining strong ties and fostering strategic cooperation across various sectors,” Mr. Sonowal said speaking at a meeting held at the Pavilion of Kamchatka Territory “Far East Street”. He said the Indian team visited the ports of Vladivostok, Vostochny, Nakhodka and Kozmino in May, 2023, which helped gain “insights” and the collaborations forged during visits to these ports contributed to “understanding of requirements” for the “full-scale operationalisation” of the EMC.
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“Our proposed workshop in Chennai will discuss the operationalisation of the EMC, and we envision involving pertinent stakeholders who trade and transport commodities such as coking coal, oil, and liquefied natural gas along this corridor,” he stated. The Minister also announced that an invitation has been extended to Russia to participate in the upcoming Global Maritime India Summit 2023.
Mr. Chekunkov said, “Cooperation with the Republic of India is one of the priorities of the international activities of our Ministry; we intend to develop relations with Indian partners in the Far East in all areas of mutual interest.”
He said the potential cargo base for the alternate routes will be coking coal, oil, LNG and fertilizers which are present in sufficient quantities in the Far East. Taking into account the specialization of the Far Eastern ports, the project should be implemented with an expanded geographical scope, including other regions in addition to Primorye, primarily the Khabarovsk Territory, Mr. Chekunkov added.
