Environmental regulations must be as strict as possible to minimize threats to the Arctic environment, said Special Presidential Representative for Environmental Protection, Ecology and Transport Sergei Ivanov.

“The Arctic is very fragile, more fragile than the waters of other seas and oceans. If, God forbid, something like an oil spill happens, Russia will have to clean up the aftermath, not the country whose tanker had the spill, and second, we need to have all the necessary rescue equipment, which is another task for the future,” Ivanov said. He emphasized that the Russian Emergencies Ministry would also have to reach the Arctic coast to perform emergency response actions in a very short time frame.

Ivanov believes that environmental regulations must be as strict as possible.

“Not a single vessel, even a warship, can sail along the Northern Sea Route. We have already dealt with naval vessels by developing a legislative framework that regulates the navigation of foreign naval vessels on the Northern Sea Route, but we are still working to do the same for civilian ships,” the special presidential representative added.

According to Ivanov, the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment is handling this issue and will develop strict regulations to prevent various environmental problems.