India and Russia Collaborate on Northern Sea Route and Polar Navigation
- October 15, 2024
- Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
- Category: DPN Topics
India and Russia Collaborate on Northern Sea Route and Polar Navigation
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India and Russia are deepening their cooperation on the Northern Sea Route (NSR) through joint projects in Arctic shipbuilding, training Indian sailors for polar navigation, and cargo transit. The discussions come at a time when India is enhancing its investments in Russia’s Far East region and working on major transport corridors like the Chennai-Vladivostok Maritime Corridor and the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC).
What is Northern Sea Route (NSR)?
The Northern Sea Route (NSR), the shortest shipping route for freight transportation between Europe and countries of the Asia-Pacific region, straddles four seas of the Arctic Ocean.
Running to 5,600 km, the Route begins at the boundary between the Barents and the Kara seas (Kara Strait) and ends in the Bering Strait (Provideniya Bay).
The distance savings along the NSR can be as high as 50% compared to the currently used shipping lanes via Suez or Panama.
Federal Project: Russia is working on the “Great Northern Sea Route” project to create a seamless transport corridor from St. Petersburg and Kaliningrad to Vladivostok.
Arctic Infrastructure: Russia is investing in nuclear icebreakers and updating the NSR’s infrastructure to make it an efficient shipping artery linking Europe, Russia, and the Asia-Pacific region.
How is Russia making the NSR navigable?
- As the seas of the Arctic Ocean remain icebound during most of the year, the icebreaking assistance is organized to ensure safe navigation along the NSR.
- Russia is the only country in the world with a nuclear-powered icebreaker fleet.
- In December 1959, the world’s first nuclear icebreaker, “Lenin,” was put into operation. It was decommissioned 30 years later.
- Today, FSUE Atomflot, a subsidiary of Rosatom, acts as the fleet operator of nuclear-powered icebreakers.
India-Russia Cooperation on the Northern Sea Route (NSR):
- Cargo Transit: Identifying targets for Indian-Russian cargo movement along the NSR.
- Training of Indian Sailors: The potential for training Indian sailors in polar navigation techniques.
- Arctic Shipbuilding: Collaborative development of projects focused on Arctic shipbuilding technology.
- Memorandum of Understanding (MoU):A draft MoU between India and Russia was proposed to enhance cooperation in cargo shipping along the NSR.
- Rosatom, Russia’s state nuclear energy corporation, acts as the infrastructure operator for the NSR since 2018.
About Chennai-Vladivostok Maritime Corridor:
- The Vladivostok – Chennai route passes through the Sea of Japan, the South China Sea and Malacca Strait.
- The route will bring down transport time to 12 days, almost a third of what is taken under the existing popular route that covers St Petersburg to Mumbai.
- The current maritime route, St Petersburg to Mumbai, is said to be an 8,675 nautical mile (16,000 km) one.
- Against this, the proposed Vladivostok – Chennai route is said to be 5647 nautical miles (10,500 km) long.
- Costs are expected to reduce by 30%.
- Significance of the new route: The new route would also give India access to the Far East, including countries like Mongolia, and the largest presence in the South East Asian region.
About International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC):
- Proposed in 2000, the INSTC was designed as a transport route from India to Russia via Iran, offering an alternative to the conventional Suez Canal route.
- The corridor spans 7,200 km incorporating sea, rail, and road components, crossing multiple countries and aimed at enhancing India’s access to Central Asian and Eurasian markets.
- Planned route: The INSTC envisages the movement of goods from Mumbai to Bandar Abbas in Iran by sea; from Bandar Abbas to Bandar-e-Anzali, an Iranian port on the Caspian Sea, by road; from Bandar-e-Anzali to Astrakhan, a Caspian port in the Russian Federation by ship across the Caspian Sea; and onward to other parts of the Russian Federation and Europe by rail.
- Participating Countries: Besides India, Russia, and Iran, countries such as Azerbaijan, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Ukraine, Belarus, Oman, and Syria have signed onto the project. Bulgaria has joined as an observer state.