“Dialogue between Russia and India has picked up pace after the Lok Sabha elections, and both governments are trying to fast track the development of the Chennai-Vladivostok route. We have spoken to multiple trading associations and shipping lines to start transportation through the Eastern Maritime Corridor (EMC),” a senior government official said.
He added that Union Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal is scheduled to visit Russia in September to participate in the Eastern Economic Forum, before which a delegation of businessmen and government officials from Russia is expected to visit Mumbai in August.
-->
Another government official told Moneycontrol that Anton Kobyakov, Adviser to the President of the Russian Federation, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Russian Deputy Minister for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic, Anatoly Yuryevich Bobrakov, Russian Consul General Oleg Avdeev, and a business delegation from Russia are expected to visit Mumbai in August to finalise trade agreements between the two countries.
The shipping ministry is also in discussions with international shipping lines for a dedicated service between the port of Chennai and the Free Port of Vladivostok.
In January 2024, Sonowal had inaugurated the India-Russia workshop in Chennai for the operationalisation of the EMC.
Sonowal had said that the EMC will be operationalised not just between Vladivostok and Chennai, but from all east coast ports of the country to the far east ports of Russia. He had added that bilateral trade between India and Russia, which was around $10 billion in FY21-22, had quadrupled and touched $44.4 billion during 2023-24.
Russia has said it wants to double its trade with India through the port of Vladivostok, which currently stands at 150 million tonnes.
Both nations have also agreed to train Indian seafarers in navigating the polar and Arctic waters at the Russian Maritime Training Institute.
In October 2023, Sonowal told Moneycontrol that India and Russia are in advanced discussions on new transport routes, such as the Northern Sea Route and the EMC, between Vladivostok and Chennai.
Russia is keen to develop the Arctic and the North Sea route (NSR) as a year-round transport and logistics route.
The Chennai-Vladivostok route covers a distance of approximately 5,600 nautical miles, or about 10,300 km.
A large container ship travelling at the normal cruising speed of 20-25 knots, or 37-46 km / hour, should be able to cover the distance in 10-12 days.
Source: money control
