Russian state-owned energy giant Rosatom is planning to have four non-nuclear icebreaker ships built in India, The Economic Times reported on Thursday, citing an official. New Delhi is already considering one state-owned and one private shipbuilder for the plan, the report said.
The matter is currently being concretized by the Indian and Russian governments, the unnamed official said, adding that the parties are also discussing the possibility of engaging in shipbuilding and the repair of Russian vessels in India’s shipyards, as well as the training of Indian seafarers in Polar waters.
The plans were reportedly discussed at the first meeting of the Joint Working Group on Cooperation in the Northern Sea Route (NSR) between Russia and India that took place in New Delhi on Thursday.
The Russian delegation, which was comprised of officials from the state corporation, visited the shipyards to assess their capabilities and infrastructure, a shipbuilding industry executive with knowledge of the visit told the news outlet, adding that both nations are keen to finalize the issue quickly.
“Russia is ready to do everything to get the icebreaker ships constructed in India, saying that if you make these ships for us, we will give you many more ship orders,” a second government official said, adding that Indian authorities had extended all possible help to local shipyards to execute the Rosatom order.
Vladimir Panov, Rosatom’s special representative for Arctic development, told Interfax on Friday that India and Russia are currently “shifting from top-level contacts to actual workflows” related to cooperation on the Northern Sea Route (NSR), expressing hope that the parties “will complete them and move on to detailing this year.”
The NSR, which stretches the entire length of Russia’s Arctic and Far East regions, is expected to become a major trade route for goods shipped between Europe and Asia. It could drastically reduce transportation times compared to traditional pathways through the Suez or Panama canals.
Freight traffic via the route has been growing steadily. Russian authorities expect annual maritime cargo flows along the NSR to reach as much as 200 million tons by 2030. They plan to boost cargo throughput at northern seaports and to increase the size of the country’s Arctic fleet.
Russian President Vladimir Putin had previously said that the development of the resource-rich Far East and the NSR are strategic priorities for the country. According to the head of state, Russia will ensure all-year navigation via the Arctic route.