A Russian Northern Maritime Corridor to the EU
Regional authorities in Northwest Russia to a growing extent see their transport connections with Europe in the development of the Northern Maritime Corridor project. The focus on the NMC comes as the European Union seeks to move more transport off the roads and onto the sea.
The EU Commission wants growth in the transport sector to be channelled to the sea, away from the crowded roads of the continent. In its “Motorways of the Sea” project, sea-way transport is to become a “real competitive alternative to land transport”. The Commission sees maritime shipping as a way to cut climate gas emissions and increase efficiency. Within ten years, sea transport should be as simple to use as the trucking of goods on land is today, EU authorities say.
For Northwest Russian regions like Murmansk and Arkhangelsk Oblast, two regions now facing major transport challenges following projected grand offshore projects in the Barents Sea, the EU ambitions match regional priorities.
The Northern Maritime Corridor
In Murmansk, the Northern Maritime Corridor (NMC), a EU-funded project involving nine countries and 20 regions, is now increasingly seen as a potentially key part in the development of smooth shipping with EU ports. The NMC seeks to facilitate shipping from several important West European ports to Northwest Russian ports.
Harald Sørensen from the Norwegian Barents Secretariat, a partner organisation in the project, says to BarentsObserver that the NMC project is contributing to an increase in shipping to the ports in Northwest Russia and especially Murmansk.
-Today we see concrete results from the project, with NMC vessels regularly mooring in Murmansk, he says, adding that the further plan now is to start test sailing from continental ports via Scotland and the Norwegian coast to end destinations Murmansk and Arkhangelsk.
-The Northern Maritime Corridor is an efficient and safe transport corridor, Mr. Sørensen underlines.
Russian priorities
Both Arkhangelsk and Murmansk Oblast will be key areas for the development of Russian offshore hydrocarbon fields in the Barents Sea. A project like the Shtokman field – one of the biggest offshore gas fields in the world – will alone require the shipping of huge amounts of goods and manpower to and from the project base areas.
Regional authorities in Murmansk are currently preparing major investments in its sea port, the fourth biggest in Russia with an annual turnover of 14,44 million tons (2007). According to regional planners, the port turnover will by year 2015 increase to an annual 70 million tons, thus making it capable of handling the increased maritime needs in the region.
When developing its offshore hydrocarbon fields in the High North, the Russians will seek to channel as much as possible of all transport operations along domestic routes and with domestic operators. Still, the need for international services and equipment will be significant, thus also strengthening the need for the NMC.
EU focus
Projects like the NMC will however not only have to convince Russian authorities about its excellence. Also the EU will have to see the benefit from improved shipping to and from Russian Barents Sea ports. The Commission has extended its Motorways of the Sea project to the Barents Sea. Still, main focus both in Brussels and in Moscow remains on East-West shipping through the Baltic Sea.
With big industrial projects coming up in the Russian North, shipping operations along the Northern Maritime Corridor route will gain relevance. The need for enhanced East-West shipping cooperation in the Barents Sea and the Arctic will get no less with the rapidly proceeding ice melting and subsequent opening of sailing routes
