Russia unveiled a new plan this week aimed at dramatically increasing the country’s shipping presence in the Arctic.
Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev signed a comprehensive project that seeks to increase the amount of cargo passing through the North Sea Route (NSR) each year.
Currently, the Russian government issues 600 annual permits to transport cargo in the Arctic region, and the volume of goods delivered is around 4 million tons. According to Russian figures, the volume of cargo has the potential to increase by 20 times over the course of the 15-year plan.