ST. PETERSBURG, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- Cargo traffic along the Northern Sea Route (NSR) hit a record high in 2023, according to Russia's Rosatom State Corporation.
The volume of cargo traffic along the NSR in 2023 amounted to 36.254 million tons, more than 250,000 tons above the target, Alexey Likhachev, general director of Rosatom, said in a news release issued on Wednesday.
Liquefied natural gas accounted for over a half of the cargo traffic, the release said.
The company noted that the NSR has become increasingly attractive for foreign shipping companies. Out of 1,218 permits issued for navigation in the water area of the NSR in 2023, 115 were issued for foreign companies, which was 60 more than that in the previous year.
Rosatom is responsible for most of Russia's activities and development in the NSR. According to the company, a total of 34.117 million tons of cargo were shipped along the route in 2022. ■