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.

Also Read | Watch | What is the Northern Sea Route and how important is it for India?

“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.

Also Read | Explained | India and the Northern Sea Route  

“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.

Watch | What is the Northern Sea Route and how important is it for India? 

A ship carrying cargo from St. Petersburg takes around 25 days to reach Mumbai. The ship has to pass through the Suez Canal. A man-made marvel, the Suez Canal, is heavily influenced by geopolitical factors, and any disruption can impact global trade significantly.

But over the years, the Arctic ice has been melting at a rate faster than in the past, opening up a new shipping route for India. And the newly proposed Chennai-Vladivostok Maritime Corridor, or CVMC, will soon change everything.

Instead of 25 days, ships on this new route will only take 12 days to reach India from Russia. While the harsh weather conditions and limited infrastructure in the Arctic region has made the route dangerous for maritime transportation, this is now changing.

Murmansk, known as the capital of the Arctic region, is seeing a rise in Indian maritime traffic. In the first seven months of this year, India accounted for 35% of the total cargo handled by the Murmansk port. And its interest in the Northern Sea Route is only increasing.

So what is the Northern Sea route, and how important is it for India?

Read the full story: Explained | India and the Northern Sea Route  

Reporting: T. Ramakrishnan (in Murmansk)

Production: Richard Kujur

Videos: Rosatom State Nuclear Energy Corporation

Photos: T. Ramakrishnan