DP World has agreed to jointly study with FESCO, Russia's
largest intermodal transport operator, the technical and economic conditions
for developing a new container berth at CPV. The new berth is anticipated to
help turn the FESCO-managed port into a major transshipment hub, connecting
cargo from countries in East Asia to North-West Europe via the Northern Sea
Route.
Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, group chairman and CEO of DP
World, said: "DP World supports President Vladimir Putin's vision for the
Northern Sea Route, which is one of the last great trading routes in the world
to be developed. Opening up an alternative route to the Suez Canal between East
and West will increase the resilience of world trade. It has great potential to
develop economic activity and prosperity in Russia's far north. It must be done
sustainably to protect the pristine waters of the Arctic."
The berth in Vladivostok is part of the infrastructure
needed for full development of the Northern Route. Under the plan, cargo will
be brought to Vladivostok by feedering ships and rail from countries in East
Asia and loaded onto Arctic-class container ships. Murmansk will be further
developed as a transshipment hub in the west to connect cargo to ports in
North- Western Europe. DP World's feedering operations will serve both
Vladivostok and Murmansk offering faster and cleaner cargo transport solutions
to customers and improving supply chain resilience. The Northern Sea Route will
allow DP World to continue to offer customers end-to-end logistics solutions.
A record 33m tonnes of cargo was carried along the route in
2020. Russian President Vladimir Putin has set a target of 80m tonnes by 2024.
The project cuts some 4,000 nautical miles from voyages between East Asia and
North-Western Europe, cutting shipping time by around two weeks and reducing
CO2 emissions.
On its website, FESCO said it will work with JSC
Atomenergoprom (part of the Rosatom State Corporation) to establish the Eastern
Transport and Logistics Hub for the Northern Sea Route on the territory of the
CPV.
CPV has annual throughput capacity of 5m tons of general
cargo and oil products, 150,000 vehicles and over 600,000 TEU of containers.