Russia to Provide Arctic Navigation Training to Chinese Seafarers

 

China and Russia have announced further plans to gear up for higher volumes of traffic in the Arctic. Last week, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin made a state visit to China, with the two countries working to strengthen bilateral trade. One of the resolutions agreed during the visit is a plan to train Chinese mariners for navigation in polar waters.

The plan is to have Chinese seafarers trained at leading Russian maritime institutions, including the Maritime State University and the Admiral Makarov State University of Maritime and Inland Shipping. At these institutions, Chinese seafarers will gain access to specialized simulators, gaining hands-on skills and preparedness to maneuver challenging polar waters.

“The memorandum is aimed at creating conditions to enhance the safety of navigation in Arctic waters, protect the lives of seafarers, and preserve the marine environment in the polar regions,” commented the Russian Minister of Transport Andrey Nikitin.

In the past few years, the cargo volume and voyages transiting the Arctic shipping route have significantly increased. In addition, more countries - especially in Asia - are also exploring Arctic transport as an alternative to traditional sea routes. As a front-runner in Arctic shipping, Russia is moving to increase its capacity in this area.

One of the measures is the Russian government plan to develop the Northern Sea Route (NSR) as part of the wider and multimodal Trans-Arctic Transport Corridor (TATC). In designing the new corridor model, Kremlin has signaled going beyond the development of maritime transport in the Arctic.

Last week, the Russian President Vladimir Putin issued an executive order instructing relevant government bodies to prepare proposals to improve efficient freight delivery along the TATC. The proposals to be submitted should assess the potential of using the Ob, Yenisey and Lena river basins to support freight flows north towards the NSR, which is part of the corridor. The deadline for the order’s implementation is February 2026.

Further, Putin instructed the government to submit proposals for developing domestic shipbuilding capabilities to support the TATC. The Kremlin wants to build a fleet of container ships, bulk and LNG carriers, supply vessels and dredgers to support Arctic operations - though Russia's persistent struggles with shipbuilding capacity could slow the implementation of these proposals.