Problems and Prospects of Development of International Transit on the Northern Sea Way

The growth of cargo transportation along the Northern Sea Route is hampered by a complex of technological, organizational and managerial problems, the solution of which requires the full attention of state bodies. In particular, the year-round operation of the NSR is extremely limited and in the winter period requires mandatory icebreaking support (according to climatologists, the navigation period free from ice only by 2040 will exceed 150 days). With an increase in freight traffic in the medium term, there may be a real shortage of icebreaking capacities and vessels of the Arctic class. A solution to the problem can be the creation of a separate Arctic fleet, which will transport between the extreme points of the NSR with subsequent overload. At the same time, there should be a clear understanding of the prospects for loading built ships with cargo and the corresponding reserves of domestic cargo, which potentially replace international volumes if necessary. It is important to emphasize that the existing infrastructure of the NSR is still limited (only one multifunctional deepwater port in Murmansk operates in the Russian Arctic), whereas for the transarctic navigation along the NSR, a system of deep-water ports with modern logistics and service as transport hubs is required. The attractiveness of the NSR is also reduced due to the acute shortage of realtime ice monitoring systems. At the same time, it should be understood that the growth of international transit, the subsequent construction of multifunctional ports with appropriate infrastructure and communications throughout the route will provide, in turn, a multiplier effect for other sectors of the economy, will require the involvement of new labor, which eliminates negative demographic trends in Arctic zone of the Russian Federation.