Participants in the International Seminar on Shipbuilding and Ship Repair in the Arctic at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum on 15–18 June 2022 will discuss prospects for international cooperation in the construction of ice-class ships, the need for such ships for the year-round operation of the Northern Sea Route (NSR), and the achievement of Russia’s goals to increase cargo traffic on this route. The event will be held as part of the events of Russia’s chairmanship in the Arctic Council in 2021–2023, which are being organized by the Roscongress Foundation.
It is only possible to increase the volume of international traffic and promote the competitiveness of the NSR on the global market, while also taking into account the need to ensure the environmental safety of transportation, by building new ice-class ships that have new green technologies and run on eco-friendly fuels. The repair and modernization of the existing fleet is another important task in this context.
Scheduled speakers at the seminar include: First Deputy Minister for the Development of the Russian Far East and Arctic Gadzhimagomed Guseynov; State Secretary and Deputy Minister of Finance Alexey Sazanov; Murmansk Region Governor Andrey Chibis; Arkhangelsk Region Governor Alexander Tsybulsky; Director of the Shipbuilding Industry and Marine Engineering Department of the Ministry of Industry and Trade Boris Kabakov; Rosatom State Corporation Deputy Director General and Director of the Northern Sea Route Directorate Vyacheslav Ruksha; United Shipbuilding Corporation CEO Alexey Rakhmanov; Deputy Chairman of the Board and Director for Marine Operations, Transportation and Logistics at NOVATEK and Chairman of the Arctic Economic Council Yevgeny Ambrosov; and Sovcomflot Deputy General Director and Administrative Director Alexey Ostapenko.
The key themes of the seminar will be:
- Construction of Ice-Class Vessels: New Challenges
- Development of Ship Repair Services in the Arctic: Market Size and Support Tools
- Modernization and Creation of New Shipbuilding and Ship Repair Sites
- Increasing the Number of High Ice-Class Vessels as an Objective Need to Develop Year-Round Shipping in the Arctic
- Needs of Business in the New Conditions
- Attracting Young Skilled Professionals to the Industry and Revamping the Training System
Ensuring safe navigation in the Arctic, including the Northern Sea Route, is one of the priorities of Russia’s chairmanship in the Arctic Council in 2021–2023. Russia believes it is crucial to make shipping routes in high latitudes safe as well as environmentally and economically efficient. Russia supports cooperation in the training of highly skilled maritime professionals to work in the Arctic, the drafting of unified educational standards in this regard, ensuring the readiness of emergency rescue services and units, and developing means of communication and navigation.
The International Seminar on Shipbuilding and Ship Repair in the Arctic is part of the programme of the ‘Arctic:Territory of Dialogue’ stand at the SPIEF. In addition, the stand will also host two more of the main events of Russia’s chairmanship in the Arctic Council. The first is the Conference on Telecommunication Development and Digitalization in the Arctic, whose participants will discuss the introduction of digital technologies in the region, the use of telemedicine and unmanned vehicles, and other topics. In addition, the Creative Business Forum at the SPIEF 2022 will host discussions on the development of creative industries in the northern territories.
Reference information:
Official social media accounts of Russia’s chairmanship in the Arctic Council:
VKontakte: vk.com/arctic_on
Twitter: twitter.com/ArcticON1
Telegram: t.me/arcticonofficial
Weibo: weibo.com/u/7728847725
WeChat ID: arcticonofficial