The expansion of oil and gas production in the Arctic zone is increasing the interest of foreign companies in the Northern Sea Route (NSR). Russian authorities report growing attention from China, India, and the United Arab Emirates to the use of the NSR as an international transport corridor and investments in Arctic projects.
According to the Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East, the total cargo turnover along the NSR amounted to 33.5 million tons by November 2025. Foreign investors are considering investing in the development of production and port facilities in the Arctic. Russian-Chinese and Russian-Indian commissions on the joint use of the NSR are already in operation, and the parties regularly exchange business missions.
Of particular interest is the joint Russian-Emirati venture between Rosatom and DP World. The company is preparing to invest in the construction of infrastructure for Eurasian transit. The parameters of the main transport and logistics hubs, the fleet of container ships, and the potential volume of the cargo base are being developed. The goal is to create a container line and hub ports for the transit of goods along the Arctic route.
The Northern Sea Route shortens the route between Europe and Asia by almost 40% compared to the route through the Suez Canal, saving 15-20 days of travel and reducing fuel costs. In addition, the NSR is synchronized with the Chinese Arctic Silk Road, which makes it an important element of global logistics corridors. In the future, it is planned to build a cargo transshipment complex in the Murmansk region with a capacity of 25 million tons per year.
