Arctic Shipping Sets New Records With Hundred Transit Voyages Carrying 3m Tonnes of Cargo in 2024

By Malte Humpert (gCaptain) –

Even in the face of widening Western sanctions Russia managed to increase Arctic transit cargo by almost 50 percent over 2023. Its main Arctic shipping lane, the Northern Sea Route, recorded 97 transits carrying close to 3m tons of cargo; both figures surpassing previous highs. Total cargo volume along the route, including transits and traffic originating in Russia, stands around 40m tonnes in 2024.

Trade between Russia and China continues to dominate cargo flows, accounting for 2.9m tonnes or 95% of all transit traffic. Officials of the two countries met this week to discuss plans to further boost Arctic shipping. 

China received 1.9m tonnes of crude, equivalent to 14.1m barrels, via the Arctic in 2024, a 30% increase over last year.

Crude oil shipments departed from Murmansk, from Primorsk in the Baltic Sea and directly from the Prirazlomnaya oil platform. Additional shipments to China originated from within the Russian Arctic and thus do not count toward transit shipments. 

In total 16 oil tankers conducted 18 voyages, with two vessels completing two shipments. Deliveries began in late July and ceased in the middle of October. Persistent summer sea ice lead to an early cessation of transit traffic by around a month. Nonetheless, the transit season lasted almost 4 months in 2024.

The majority of oil tankers returned in ballast via the Arctic adding a further 17 voyages.

In contrast to 2023 Russia did not opt to use conventional tankers, all vessels had ice classes ranging from Ice 2 to Arc 6. Last year it deployed several carriers without ice classification raising concerns about the hazard of oil shipments in ice infested waters. 

The route also saw nine bulk carriers transport close to 900,000 tonnes of iron ore, coal, and fertilizers; again exclusively from Russia to China. The figures are based on a report compiled by Norway’s Centre for High North Logistics. 

Container shipping along the NSR had a banner year in 2024 with a total of 17 voyages, including 14 between Russia and China. The summer saw the first use of Panamax container ships in the Arctic, capable of carrying up to 5,000 containers, using the Arctic shortcut rather than transiting the Suez Canal. In September two large containerships passed in close proximity to each other in the Arctic for the first time, just 750nm from the North Pole.

Container ships held only light  Ice 1 or Ice 2 or no ice-classification highlighting how cargo shipping via the Arctic is becoming increasingly feasible even for standard box carriers. 

Russia’s fleet of nuclear icebreakers, which during some recent summers did not see much action, remained indispensable during August, September and October this year to keep passages open in the Chukchi and East Siberian Seas. In total three different nuclear icebreakers, Sibir, Ural, and Vaygach took turns escorting convoys through sections of late summer and early winter sea ice. 

Earlier this week Russia’s newest nuclear icebreaker, Yakutiya, began sea trials bringing the country’s fleet to a record eight vessels. In order to ensure year-round navigation along the route Russia aims to expand its nuclear fleet to at least ten vessels by 2030.

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