The Kamchatka Territory, which is capable of ensuring the year-round handling of cargoes in ice-free ports, is extremely interested in developing the Northern Sea Route, head of the territory Vladimir Ilyukhin told RIA Novosti at The Arctic: Territory of Dialogue 5^th International Arctic Forum.

"Although the Kamchatka Territory is outside the Arctic zone, it is the only land at the end of the Northern Sea Route which can offer something that no one else can offer. Today we can offer opportunities for transshipping cargoes in ice-free ports on a year-round basis. Therefore, we are extremely interested in having the Northern Sea Route developed. We are greatly interested in investments in this sphere, we are greatly interested in the two projects that we are implementing," he said.

Ilyukhin recalled that at the forum on Tuesday, Development Corporation of Kamchatka and the Primorsky Multicargo Transshipment Company of the Leningrad Region signed an agreement on implementing a project of developing container shipment between Kamchatka and the Leningrad Region. Another priority project is the construction of a terminal for the transshipment and storage of Novatek's liquid natural gas in Kamchatka.

"We expect fairly large investments in this area. A new port infrastructure will be built on Russia's eastern and Pacific coasts, which will make it possible to transship a huge amount of cargo for the benefit of the Asian-Pacific Region as well as Central Russia and Europe," concluded Ilyukhin.

President of Russia Vladimir Putin has set the task of increasing the freight volume along the Northern Sea Route to 80 million metric tons by 2024. 

The Arctic: Territory of Dialogue 5th International Arctic Forum was held in St. Petersburg on April 9 and 10. The State Commission for the Development of the Arctic convened for a meeting on April 9.