It is expected that about 29 million metric tons of cargo will be carried along the Northern Sea Route next year, said Deputy Head of Rosatom's Northern Sea Route Directorate and Head of the Directorate for Developing the Northern Sea Route and Rosatom Coastal Territories Maxim Kulinko. This year, the freight turnover was as little as 18 million metric tons. 

"It will include 18 million tons from the Yamal projects, about 8.5 million tons from the Novoportovskoye field and Nornickel's 1.5 million-ton cargo. Of course, such explosive growth should be a cause for optimism," Kulinko explained at the 8^th The Arctic: Today and the Future forum in St.Petersburg. 

He added that a powerful icebreaker fleet should be created in order to maintain year-round navigation along the Northern Sea Route.

The 8^th The Arctic: Today and the Future forum was held in St. Petersburg on December 5-7. More than 2,000 people from 40 Russian regions and 20 countries declared their intention to take part in the forum. Arctic.ru and Rossiya Segodnya provided information support for the event.