Russia needs to build medium-tonnage vessels for containerized cargo transportation along the Northern Sea Route, stated Arkhangelsk Oblast Governor Alexander Tsybulsky at the “Arctic – Regions” forum. Currently, the main efforts are focused on large-tonnage fleets and gas carriers, but container shipping remains without due attention.

Tsybulsky, who heads the State Council Commission on International Cooperation and Export, emphasized that the President's directive to increase non-resource, non-energy exports is directly related to containerized cargo. For this, it is necessary to determine in advance what vessels the country needs, who will order them, where they will be built, and through what financial instruments.

The discussion was attended by Presidential Advisor Igor Levitin, Deputy Minister of Industry Albert Karimov, representatives of Rosatom, United Shipbuilding Corporation, banks, and development institutions.

The participants also touched upon the certification of Russian exports: enterprises are often forced to undergo repeated tests already in the country of supply. The task is to reduce such barriers and develop mutual recognition of results. According to Tsybulsky, for complex machine-building products, a one-time delivery is not enough: service, spare parts, financing, and a reliable local partner are needed. All three areas – production, logistics, and market consolidation – are interconnected.