European countries are currently only observing the development of the Northern Sea Route, as Western businesses are not allowed to participate in the project. This was stated to RIA Novosti by Vladislav Maslennikov, Director of the Department of European Problems at the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. According to him, Europeans are interested, but under politicized pretexts, they are not allowed to take advantage of the route.
The dialogue is developing most successfully with China and India. The Russian Ambassador to New Delhi announced an agreement to increase cargo traffic along the NSR to 5 million tons by 2030. India is already participating in the development of the Russian Arctic, and the Vladivostok — Chennai route complements the northern corridor.
Over ten years, the volume of transportation along the NSR has increased almost tenfold — to 37 million tons in 2025. For the eight months of 2026, 24.2 million tons have been transported, an increase of 15%. Shipowners' interest is associated not only with the short route between Europe and Asia but also with the unsafe situation in the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf. A test container voyage from South Korea to Europe has already passed along the NSR.
Read more on the topic:
- Rosatom is negotiating with China and India on joint work on the Northern Sea Route
- Foreign companies are preparing to invest billions in the Russian Northern Sea Route
- Russia invests in the Northern Sea Route, and it will pay off: the Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East spoke about the development of the route