Head of Yakutia calls for dredging the port of Tiksi
© RIA Novosti. Vitaliy Ankov

Head of Yakutia calls for dredging the port of Tiksi

A dredging operation is required in the port of Tiksi, Yakutia, to develop the local transport hub and to facilitate the projects in Yakutia’s Arctic zone.

“We need to focus on dredging operations – specifically, for example, in the port of Tiksi. <…> No dredging has been performed since the 1990s with the result that the port’s depth has decreased from 10 to 5 meters. Upgrading the sea-lane is important for expediting the development projects in Yakutia’s Arctic zone,” Head of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) Aysen Nikolayev said during a meeting of the Council for the Development of the Russian Far East, the Arctic and the Antarctic under the Federation Council, entitled “Strategic Approaches to the Development of the Northern Sea Route.”  

According to Aysen Nikolayev, equipment deterioration in the port of Tiksi has reached 90 percent.

“Developing the port of Tiksi is important for everyone. It is an important transport hub and a base for the implementation of major infrastructure projects in the area of mineral resource management, energy, and the development of the social sphere in the republic’s Arctic regions,” he explained. 

There are more than 50 ports on the Northern Sea Route, including Sabetta, Igarka, Dudinka, Dikson, Tiksi, Pevek, Beringovsky, Provideniya, and others. 

Port improvement is also important in the face of the sanctions that have been imposed on Russia. Experts believe that restrictions on air flights will lead to a boost in icebreaker supported shipping in the eastern part of the Northern Sea Route (NSR). A statement to this effect was expressed by Rosatom’s special representative for Arctic development, Vladimir Panov, as he addressed the Federation Council Tuesday.

“Let me emphasize the influence that the sanctions could have on the development of Arctic projects. Direct influence should be discussed with caution, but we can say that many customers will certainly shift from Europe to Asia. So, it will be a priority to ensure year-round navigation on the eastern NSR,” he said, adding that it would be necessary to commission another six nuclear icebreakers to implement the planned projects by 2030.