The Ministry of Regional Development reported an increase in cargo traffic along the Northern Sea Route by 13%

The volume of cargo transportation along the Northern Sea Route (NSR) increased by 13% in the first five months of 2026. This was announced on September 2 during the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) by Anton Basansky, State Secretary and Deputy Minister for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic.

"Over the past five months, cargo traffic has increased by 12.9 million tons this year, and this is 13% higher than in previous years," TASS quoted him as saying.

According to the deputy minister, the positive dynamics was recorded in comparison with the indicators of previous years. He specified that the cargo flow of transit traffic along the Arctic highway increased during the reporting period.

Zhou Lijun, Chairman of the Union of Chinese Entrepreneurs in Russia, said on September 2 that companies from China are increasingly using the Northern Sea Route to transport goods to European countries. In August of this year, the first ships from Chinese ports have already arrived in Murmansk.