With the global economy becoming increasingly interconnected and supply chains being reconfigured, countries and corporations alike are rethinking the infrastructure that underpins world trade. From Asia to Africa and Europe, the search for faster, more resilient, and sustainable logistics corridors is driving interest in alternative transport routes.
One of the most prominent of these new arteries is the Northern Sea Route (NSR) — an Arctic corridor that significantly shortens transit time between Europe and Asia. At the VI International Arctic Forum “The Arctic – the Territory of Dialogue”, top managers from Rosatom — the state corporation serving as the operator of the NSR infrastructure — presented the company’s long-term vision for the route’s development and its potential role in reshaping global cargo flows.
In particular, during the key session on the “Long-Term Development Model for the Northern Sea Route”, Rosatom Director General Alexey Likhachev emphasised the scale of upcoming logistics challenges and the need for forward planning: “First of all, we need to ensure that there is cargo flow on the NSR. The volume of cargo has already amounted to tens of millions of tons with last year’s record nearly 38 million tons. Our northern deposits developers tell us to be prepared for hundreds of millions of tons.
The sanctions are a great burden, indeed, affecting not only the area of technological equipment but also transportation, funding, and long-term contracts for the sale of resources extracted in the Arctic region. We are aware of this and we will act in accordance with the scenario. Now, as per the scenario, we need 11 icebreakers, which we already have (including eight nuclear icebreakers). We must move on to the next stage and plan 100 and 150 million tons and 15 to 17 icebreakers instead of 10 or 11. Therefore, we must construct them.”
He also stressed the significance of international cooperation. “An icebreaker does not transport cargo, so we need a cargo fleet. I understand that we do not have enough capacity to meet the demand for cargo vessels in advance, and this is where international cooperation is necessary. We have a very good understanding of business on the international market. Now we are having discussions with several countries that are experts in shipbuilding. First of all, we need to develop a strategy for increasing capacity at our shipyards, but we also need international cooperation tools,” stated Alexey Likhachev.
The section titled «Muravyov-Amursky 2030: career in the Arctic and the Far East is a choice for strong people» was focused on the topic of personnel training for the Arctic. The speakers addressed the issues of attracting, training, and retaining highly skilled personnel considering the harsh conditions of the Arctic and remoteness from major urban centers.
Tatiana Terentyeva, Rosatom Deputy Director General for HR, participated in the discussion.
“We think of the Arctic is a region with boundless opportunities and a platform for the realisation of groundbreaking and unique projects. These include SMR-based NPPs, upgraded floating power units for the Baimsky Mining and Processing Plant, the world’s only floating NPP in Pevek, and, of course, the Northern Sea Route. Our Arctic companies currently employ around 10,000 people,” she told the participants.
“With the expansion of our operations, primarily after the launch of the Kola NPP-2 and the construction of three new power plants, we are going to create 10,000 jobs more by 2035 To achieve these objectives, we are developing our cooperation with specialised educational institutions and vocational training organisations in the area, including within the «Professionalitet» project. We interact with young talented people – we offer career advice to schoolchildren and run educational programs, support youth initiatives,” she added
In addition to major infrastructure and logistics projects, Rosatom continues to demonstrate technological flexibility through solutions designed for hard-to-reach regions. The Akademik Lomonosov, the world’s first floating nuclear power plant, currently supplies clean, stable energy to the Arctic town of Pevek. Similar floating or small modular reactors could, in the future, offer a sustainable option for remote or coastal regions in other parts of the world, including Africa — where decentralised energy solutions are becoming increasingly important for economic development.
