India and the Northern Sea Route

• Murmansk is witnessing the rising trend of Indian involvement in cargo traffic.
• In the first seven months of 2023, India got the lion’s share with 35% of eight million tonnes of cargo handled by the Murmansk port.

Murmansk Port

• The seaport of Murmansk is one of the largest ice-free ports in Russia.
• Popularly called the capital of the Arctic region, it is the beginning point of the Northern Sea Route (NSR),
• It is located on the Kola Peninsula at the coast of the Barents Sea.
• The port is navigated all year round.

Significance of the Arctic region for India

• The vulnerability of the Arctic region to unprecedented changes in the climate may impact India in terms of economic security, water security and sustainability.
• It constitutes the largest unexplored prospective area for hydrocarbons remaining on the Earth.
  • It is estimated that the region may hold over 40 per cent of the current global reserves of oil and gas.
• There may also be significant reserves of coal, zinc and silver.
• However, the government’s Arctic Policy of 2022 mentions that the country’s approach to economic development of the region is guided by UN Sustainable Development Goals.

History of India’s engagement

• India’s engagement with the Arctic can be traced to the signing of the Svalbard Treaty in 1920 in Paris.
• India is undertaking several scientific studies and research in the Arctic region.
• This encompasses atmospheric, biological, marine, hydrological and glaciological studies.
• India has set up a research station, Himadri, at Svalbard, in 2008.
• It also launched a multi-sensor moored observatory and northernmost atmospheric laboratory in 2014 and 2016 respectively.
• Till last year, thirteen expeditions to the Arctic were successfully conducted.
• In May 2013, India became an observer-State of the Arctic Council along with five others including China.

Northern Sea Route

• The shortest shipping route for freight transportation between Europe and countries of the Asia-Pacific region, straddles four seas of the Arctic Ocean.
• It begins at the boundary between the Barents and the Kara seas (Kara Strait) and ends in the Bering Strait (Provideniya Bay).
• According to a paper published, in theory, distance savings along the NSR can be as high as 50% compared to the currently used shipping lanes via Suez or Panama.
• The 2021 blockage of the Suez Canal has led to greater attention on the NSR.
  • It forms part of the widely-used maritime route involving Europe and Asia.

Driving factors for India to participate in the NSR development

• The growth in cargo traffic along the NSR is on constant rise.
  • During 2018-2022, the growth rate was around 73%.
• The record supplies of energy resources (like crude oil and coal from Russia in recent years) are possible due to such a reliable and safe transport artery as the NSR.
• The NSR assumes importance, given India’s geographical position and the major share of its trade associated with sea transportation.
• The Chennai-Vladivostok Maritime Corridor (CVMC) project organises international container transit through the NSR.
• Experts are discussing the possibility of China and Russia gaining collective influence over the NSR.