Northern Maritime Corridor getting concrete
Russian authorities are showing increasing interest in the Northern Maritime Corridor project. In the course of 2008, a test load of containers will be shipped from Amsterdam to Arkhangelsk.
If positive, the results of the test shipping operation could attract the interests of both the oil and shipping industry, Russian project manager Vladimir Kharlov says to newspaper Rossiiskaya Gazeta.
He says that the Northern Maritime Corridor project now is entering a more practical phase.
In a project meeting in Sankt Petersburg last week, the participants highlighted the need to focus more on efficient customs procedures. Currently, extensive customs regulations in Russian ports hinder the development of quick shipping operations. The conference participants also underlined that customs authorities now need to present information on how deal with customs regulations in free economic port zones, an arrangement currently in the making in Russia
The development of the NMC project could provide the oil industry with shorter and more cost-efficient shipping of hydrocarbons from Arctic fields.
The Northern Maritime Corridor project, a sea based transportation project which dates back to 2002, includes eight countries and 20 regions. The shipping corridor stretches from Northwest Russia to northern Norway and the continent.
Read more about the project at the project website.
