Eastern Maritime Corridor:
The Chennai-Vladivostok eastern maritime corridor has become operational and is carrying oil, food, and machines, Minister for Ports, Shipping, and Waterways said recently.
- The Chennai-Vladivostok Sea route, also known as the EMC, will link Russia’s east coast with South India.
- The EMC offers a significant reduction in both cargo transit time between India and the Russian Far East of up to 16 days and in distance by up to 40%, promising substantial efficiency gains in transportation.
- Currently, the route from Mumbai to St. Petersburg, Russia, via the Western Sea Route and Suez Canal spans 8,675 nautical miles or 16,066 km.
- At present, a large container ship from India takes around 40 days to reach Russia’s Far East region through Europe.
- In contrast, the distance from Chennai to Vladivostok via the EMC is significantly shorter, at only 5,647 nautical miles, or 10,458 km.
- This translates to substantial savings of 5,608 km in distance, providing significant reductions in logistical costs and enhancing the efficiency of cargo transportation between Russia, India, and Asia.
- En route, EMC passes through the Sea of Japan, the East China Sea, the South China Sea, the Malacca Straits, the Andaman Sea, and the Bay of Bengal.
- The route includes port options if needed, such as Dalian, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Ho Chi Minh City, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Dhaka, Colombo, and Chennai.
