The development of the Arctic zone until 2050 is a strategic task on a national scale, and for the development of the Arctic zone and the Transarctic transport corridor, an operator of the Glavsevmorput 2.0 level is needed. This was emphasized by the Governor of the Murmansk Region, Andrey Chibis, during a joint meeting of the commissions of the State Council of the Russian Federation "The Northern Sea Route and the Arctic" and "International Cooperation and Export". The event took place today at the Arctic Regions Forum in Arkhangelsk. Recall that by order of President Vladimir Putin, Andrei Chibis heads the relevant Arctic commission.
Andrey Chibis, Governor and head of the relevant commission of the State Council for the Development of the Arctic, stressed that the tasks of both commissions are inextricably linked, and the very meaning of the Transarctic Transport Corridor, of which the NSR is a part, is to ensure national security and connectivity by sea between the west and east of the country, which is impossible without the cooperation of all participants in the development process. Active teamwork is underway to develop approaches to the integrated development of the macroregion and the TTK, they are supported by the federal government, the heads of subjects, companies and organizations. The result is the decisions that formed the basis of the instructions of Russian President Vladimir Putin following the results of the International Arctic Forum in Murmansk in March this year.
"The Arctic is at the center of state policy. Thank you to the President and the Government for supporting our initiatives.: We are moving step by step to make a powerful breakthrough. The economy of future generations is being formed in the Arctic zone. Today, the topic of Arctic exploration is comparable to space exploration in the middle of the last century," the governor noted.
Alexey Chekunkov, Minister for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic, emphasized the need for an integrated approach in his speech: "The development of the Northern Sea Route is possible only if the entire Arctic region is fully developed, including all transport links and, of course, first of all, the network of support settlements where people live. Today, the development of the Arctic is entering a new era. The array of projects that are being implemented in the region is comparable to the tasks that our ancestors once solved by raising the Arctic, building new enterprises and cities."
Andrey Chibis noted that such synergy can be achieved only within the framework of an approach where the Arctic zone and the Transarctic transport Corridor are considered as a single whole, and also recalled that the task of working out a comprehensive project was set by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"The development of the Arctic is a strategic task on a national scale. We need a clear, comprehensive long-term plan, where it is clear which resources we are developing first, which settlements and what role they play in the development of the region, what investments and industries we are directing, and which partners we are cooperating with. It is important that there is also an operator for these processes. Here we can rely on the successful experience of the Soviet Union. Coordination of work at the state level yields powerful results. Today, a new management model is needed – a structure at the level of the Soviet Glavsevmorput – Glavsevmorput 2.0, capable of coordinating the efforts of all participants, integrating resources and management decisions. This approach will ensure the necessary dynamics, open up access to the enormous resource and logistical potential of the Arctic and make it a real multiplier of the country's economic development for decades to come," said Andrey Chibis.
In order to fully unlock the potential of the Transarctic Transport Corridor route, and, in particular, the Northern Sea Route, it is extremely important to develop the transport hubs that form the backbone of this logistics route: port infrastructure and railway approaches to them, as well as to solve the tasks of dredging. Alexander Tsybulsky, Head of the Arkhangelsk Region, supported the thesis that the development of the Arctic and export potential should be considered jointly, and the creation of convenient and inexpensive logistics is also important to enter new foreign markets.
"Rosmorport predicts the largest increase in cargo traffic along the Northern Sea Route through Arctic ports by 2030. The global task now is to create a truly world–class full-fledged transit corridor that could provide the quality of services that our exporters and shippers are accustomed to today. To increase cargo traffic along the entire Northern Sea Route to 100 million tons per year or more, it is extremely important to build a balanced and efficient logistics route. And without supporting transit hubs, this task cannot be solved – this is the first step that needs to be taken. If we analyze the western sector of the Russian Arctic, then, of course, two such points are Murmansk and Arkhangelsk, which have the necessary potential," emphasized Alexander Tsybulsky.
"Murmansk is a key hub of the TTC: already today it provides more than 50% of the total transshipment of ports in the Arctic basin, and in the future this figure may exceed 200-250 million tons per year. And these are not just plans.: We have already connected the eastern and western shores of the Kola Bay with a new 50 km railway, and the potential for cargo turnover has doubled. Also this year, the new Lavna port was launched, which already ships cargo to various ports around the world. Following the results of the IAF, the President instructed to work on increasing the capacity of the MTU by 3 times," said Andrey Chibis, continuing the topic of developing the logistics infrastructure of the TTK.
In conclusion, Andrey Chibis thanked the participants of the meeting and the Government of the country for fruitful cooperation.
"It is important that we not only discuss, but clearly and methodically bring initiatives together to concrete results. Our responsibility is to structure and formulate a comprehensive plan for the development of the Arctic, a task entrusted to us by the President," the governor said.
"We have seen the unanimity of departments and regions. Engagement and consolidation. Interregional cooperation is important, and through joint efforts we will achieve the goals set by the President," concluded Alexey Chekunkov.
Photo: press service of the Government of the Arkhangelsk region
/ Ministry of Information Policy of the Murmansk Region /