Russia's Northern Sea Route might handle up to 40 million metric tons of freight annually by 2022, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said at a meeting of the State Commission for Arctic Development during The Arctic: Territory of Dialogue international forum in Arkhangelsk.

"Even conservative forecasts show that due to the exploitation of the continental shelf and expansion of the entire port infrastructure the Northern Sea Route might handle up to 40 million metric tons of freight by 2022, which is ten times more than 2014," Rogozin said.

He pointed out that in order to implement these plans, Russia is already building icebreakers for replacing those currently in use.

In May 2019, the Project 22220 lead multirole nuclear-powered icebreaker Arktika will be delivered to Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation, Russian Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Vasily Osmakov said. The Project 22220 nuclear-powered icebreaker Sibir is to be completed in November 2020, followed by its sister-ship, the Ural, in 2021. These icebreakers will escort vessels in the Arctic, crushing three-meter deep ice as they go.

The Arctic: Territory of Dialogue international forum is a key platform for discussing issues and prospects of the Arctic region at global level. The event is held with direct assistance from the Russian Government and aims to pool the international community's efforts for attaining efficient development of the Arctic and boosting local standards of living.