Traffic on Northern Sea Route doubles as Russia aims to reduce ice-class requirements

Shipments from Novatek's Yamal LNG accounted for much of the rise, but further growth in LNG, oil and coal shipments are expected in coming years.

Shipping traffic on Russia’s Northern Sea Route reached another milestone, surpassing 15 million tons of cargo during the first eleven months of the year. For 2018, Russian authorities expect more than 17 million tons, explains Deputy Transport Ministry Jury Tsvetkov, nearly doubling the volume of the previous year when vessels delivered 9.7 million tons along the route. At least 500,000 tons will come from transit traffic, the highest figure since 2013.