Murmansk port is the main northern gateway of Russia and a transshipment hub, located about 2,000 km northwest of Moscow.
Recently, India accounts for 35% of cargo handled by Murmansk port constituting the maximum share of cargo handled by the port this year,
Turkey and China were among other countries served by the Murmansk port with a share of 34% and 19% respectively.
The shortest shipping route (5600km) - Northern Sea Route (NSR) connecting the western part of Eurasia and the Asia-Pacific region was used as the transit route for shipping the goods.
The NSR route includes the seas of the Arctic Ocean-Kara, Laptev, East Siberian and Chukchi which remain icebound during most parts of the year and the icebreaking process is carried out by the fleet operator of nuclear-powered icebreakers.