Russia: First NSR International Boxship Route to Start as Box Volume Grows
Russian officials are again highlighting the growth of shipping and specifically containership along the Northern Sea Route. In just 10 days, they expect the first containership following an international route to European ports will start an NSR transit, while data shows a slight increase in traffic so far this year along the Arctic shipping route.
The Liberian-flagged containership Istanbul Bridge (66,781 dwt / 4,950 TEU) is completing an eastbound transit, and then Rosatom reports says IAA Port News that the vessel will depart September 15 westbound. For the first time, it will follow a route coming from China with intermediary stops at Felixstowe, Rotterdam, and Hamburg, before proceeding to St. Petersburg.
Speaking at the Eastern Economic Forum, IAA reports Rosatom executives highlighted that container vessel traffic is growing on the NSR coming from international ships. They report that last year 14 containerships made the transit, twice as many as in 2023, and they projected more than 20 transits this year. All vessels making the NSR transit have to obtain permits from Rosatom.
The forecast is consistent with a mid-season analysis of vessel transits on the NSR released by the Center for High North Logistics. They analyzed AIS data and reported that transits during the first half of the season showed a slight increase, reaching 52 as of the end of August versus 45 last year, with 17 completed, 10 nearing completion, and 12 within the NSR area. An additional 13 ships have commenced sailings scheduled to transit the NSR.
The data analysis shows a nearly equal split between east and west transits, but tankers are laden traveling east and returning westward most likely in ballast. Tankers continue to make up the largest number of vessels using the NSR (13), plus two LNG tanker voyages,
Bulk carriers and containerships are so far tied with 10 voyages for each segment. However, they said only three of the eastbound bulkers were traveling with cargo. They, however, assume that the vast majority of the containerships are carrying cargo. The main cargo flow continues to be from Russia to China.
The analysis notes that September and October, and into November, will be an active period for the NSR. They also highlighted that ice has remained present on portions of the route, with residual ice still being observed in the eastern part of the East Siberian Sea.
The final data for the NSR is not scheduled to be released till the end of the year. Russia has been highlighting strong growth and progress toward the objective of year-round transits and reaching the goals set by Vladimir Putin, but it is unclear how accurate the data is and how close they are toward achieving ambitious goals for Arctic route shipping.