Portal partners
Russia promotes an alternative route through its part of the Arctic during the Suez Canal blockade
Author:Mariusz Dasiewicz
The blockade of the Suez Canal proves that alternative options for strategic world routes, such as the Northern Maritime Road, leading through the Russian Arctic, should be developed," said Nikolai Korczunov, Russian MFA representative for cooperation in the Arctic.
The diplomat, as reported by the economic journal "Wiedomosti", estimated on Friday that the blockade of the channel showed the need for the development of the Northern Maritime Way. The attractiveness of this trail will increase, both in the short-term and in the long-term", Korczunov forecasts.
The North Seaway is part of the North-East Passage, the shortest maritime route between East Asia and Europe. This route is about 1/3 shorter than the road through the Suez Canal. With the warming in the Arctic, the possibility of operating this trail opens up. Counting on this, Russia is developing its fleet of nuclear icebreakers and infrastructure in the Arctic.
On Tuesday in the Suez Canal, the container ship MV Ever Given settled on a shallow surface, thereby blocking one of the world's most important maritime trade routes to which 12% of global trade is transported. Work is underway on unlocking the channel, which may take weeks. The blockade of the canal for numerous oil tankers has already affected a 3% increase in oil prices in global markets and has also significantly increased fuel transport prices worldwide.
Source: PAP
