Russia-India sea transport corridor operational – New Delhi  

The Eastern Maritime Corridor (EMC), which connects major logistics hubs in Russia’s Far East with India’s southeastern coast, has become operational, Indian Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal announced on Monday. The maritime link is expected to serve as a cheaper and faster alternative for shipping vital commodities, including oil and coal.

“The Eastern Maritime Corridor between Vladivostok and Chennai is operational now. Container ships carrying crude oil, metal, and textiles have started coming to Indian ports,” Sonowal said, according to PTI news agency. The minister described the new corridor as “not just a trade route” but also a symbol of the “growing partnership” between the two countries.

This sea route between Chennai Port, India’s second-largest container hub, and Vladivostok Port in Russia’s Far East originally opened in the 1960s and facilitated Soviet trade with India. Later, as the volume of goods being shipped decreased, it became redundant.

The revival of bilateral trade since 2022, when the South Asian nation began actively importing Russian mineral fuels and fertilizers, has been seen by both governments as one of their top priorities, given that traditional shipping routes had been disrupted by Western sanctions against Moscow.

The reopening of the route is estimated to reduce the time required to transport cargo between the ports in India’s south and Russia’s Far East from 40 days to around 24 days. Stretching across the vast expanse of the Indian Ocean and into the Pacific and covering a distance of about 5,600 nautical miles, this maritime link is anticipated to facilitate the movement of goods ranging from pharmaceuticals and textiles to machinery and agricultural products.

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This new trade route could revolutionize Russia-India trade and strategic partnership

Currently, the most commonly used sea trade route is between India’s Nhava Sheva Port in Mumbai and Russia’s St. Petersburg port; it covers a distance of 8,675 nautical miles, with transportation taking around 35 to 40 days.

For India, the new route provides direct access to the Russian Far East, an area rich in natural resources and untapped markets needing diverse products. For Russia, particularly the Far Eastern regions, the corridor opens a vital connection to one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, allowing for the export of energy resources and raw materials essential for India’s industrial growth.

Russia’s Arctic and Far Eastern ports account for around 40% of the country’s maritime shipping, and their freight turnover could double over the next decade, with coal, crude, and LNG being the key items shipped. All of these commodities, along with fertilizers, could be effectively shipped via the EMC, according to a feasibility study conducted by the Indian government in 2023. Russian officials have also noted that the EMC could be further linked with the Northern Sea Route, which runs from the Barents Sea near Russia’s border with Norway to the Bering Strait between Siberia and Alaska, providing India with even more alternative routes to ship vital commodities.