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Murmansk, the beginning point of the Northern Sea Route (NSR), is witnessing the rising trend of Indian involvement in cargo traffic.

Facts About:

What is Northern Sea Route?

• It is the shortest shipping route for freight transportation between Europe and countries of the Asia-Pacific region, straddles four seas of the Arctic Ocean. 
• Coverage- It runs around 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).
• Save distance- Distance savings along the NSR can be as high as 50% compared to the currently used shipping lanes via Suez or Panama.
• The traditional Suez Canal route is 8000 km longer than Northern Sea passage.
• 2021 blockage- The 2021 blockage of the Suez Canal, which forms part of the widely-used maritime route involving Europe and Asia, has led to greater attention on the NSR.
• Navigability- Arctic Ocean remain icebound during most of the year, the icebreaking assistance is organised to ensure safe navigation along the NSR.

What are the advantages of Northern Sea Route?

• Profitable-It is a strategically important transport artery; it is economically profitable when comapared with Suez Canal.
• Save fuel- It will save fuel due to reduced distance.
• Cost effective- The shorter distance reduces the cost of staff labor and chartering vessels.
• The route does not charge payments for the passage unlike Suez Canal.
• Time saving-There are no queues (unlike, for example, the Suez Canal);
• Safety- There is no risk of a pirate attack.

Why Arctic region is so significant for India?

• Impact on India-The vulnerability of the Arctic region leads to unprecedented changes in the climate.
• This may have an impact on India in terms of economic security, water security and sustainabilit

• Svalbard Treaty- India’s engagement with the Arctic can be traced to the signing of the Svalbard Treaty in 1920.
• Conduct studies: Indian conducts studies regarding atmospheric, biological, marine, hydrological, glaciological events.
• Arctic Council- Arctic Council addresses the issues faced by governments in the region and the indigenous people of the Arctic.
• India is an observer state in Arctic Council including China. 
• Himadri research station- India's first permanent Arctic research station located at Spitsbergen, Svalbard, Norway. 
• It is located at the International Arctic Research base, Ny-Alesund.
• Infrastructural base- 
  1. Multi-sensor moored observatory was inaugurated in 2014
  2. Northernmost atmospheric lab was launched in 2016
• Successful expeditions- India conducted around 13 successful expeditions to Arctic till 2022.

•  Arctic Policy of 2022- It mentions that the country’s approach to economic development of the region is guided by UN Sustainable Development Goals.
• Potential for minerals- The region constitutes the largest unexplored prospective area for hydrocarbons remaining on the earth. 
• There may be significant reserves of coal, zinc, and silver.
• Institutional support- In 2018 India renamed National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research to National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research. 
• It shows India’s refocusing priorities in Arctic region.

What are the driving factors for India to participate in the NSR development?

• Growth in cargo traffic- India engagement in NSR is on the constant rise and during 2018-2022, the growth rate was around 73%. 
• Last year, the volume of cargo traffic was 34.117 million tonnes. 
• India-Russia trade- India increasingly imports crude oil and coal from Russia in recent years.
• The record supplies of energy resources for the Indian economy are possible due to such a reliable and safe transport artery as the NSR.
• Transit route- NSR assumes importance, given India’s geographical position and the major share of its trade associated with sea transportation.
• East meets East- In 2019 India and Russia signed Chennai-Vladivostok Maritime Corridor (CVMC) project. 
• It is signed  as one linking with another organise international container transit through the NSR. 
• Reduce travel time-The 10,500 km-long CVMC, passing through the Sea of Japan, the South China Sea and Malacca Strait, will bring down transport time to 12 days.
• This is almost a third of what is taken under the existing St. Petersburg-Mumbai route of 16,000 km.
• Chennai Port Trust study- Fuel and fertilisers are some of the cargo that can be imported from Russia to India through CVMC.

What lies ahead?

• NSR development plan- It is approved until 2035 by Russia, this sets the cargo traffic target as 80 million tonnes and 150 million tonnes for 2024 and 2030.
•  The plan approval took place amid economic sanctions imposed by the West against Russia following the latter’s war with Ukraine.
• Chennai-Vladivostok Maritime Corridor project-Workshop featuring stakeholders from the two countries, is expected to be held in the second half of October.

Source: https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/explained-india-and-the-northern-sea-route/article67230900.ece