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Northern Sea Route Administration

The existing Northern Sea Route Administration within the Ministry of Transport did not appear to have roles in policy formation, icebreaker management, or planning. Putin in the spring of 2017 announced that there was a need for an entity with over-arching responsibility for regional infrastructure development and the management of the nuclear icebreaker fleet. It first appeared that the new entity would be based on the Northern Sea Route Administration. Transport Ministry representative Vitaly Klyuyev in May 2017 told newspaper Kommersant that the Northern Sea Route Administration, a unit under his ministry, should become a so-called integrated logistical operator in the Arctic responsible for regional hydrography, emergency, rescue and preparedness, as well as the management of nuclear-powered icebreakers.

Rosatom drafted a federal law authorizing it to supervise and control navigation on the Northern Sea Route in 2017. Sources of Kommersant in the White House and the Kremlin in October 2017 said that the state corporation managing atomic icebreakers Atomflot would create a separate "Arctic division" that will also oversee the development of the infrastructure of the Northern Sea Route. Rosatom crafted a bill that would give it total control over infrastructure and navigation along the Northern Sea Route, signaling a major consolidation of the country’s Arctic policy. The legislation would give Rosatom the say-so over which ships are allowed to sail through the corridor, as well as oversee reporting on weather and ice conditions, cooperate in organizing rescue operations, and designate the circumstances under which icebreakers must be used for convoys.

Directorate for the Northern Sea Route will be headquartered on Bolshaya Polyanka Street in downtown Moscow. The building also houses Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation offices. The federal state institution Northern Sea Route Administration was established in March 2013, iand was responsible for organizing navigation on the Northern Sea Route. The institution's main aims are security of navigation and environment protection from pollution from ships in the Northern Sea Route area.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister and head of the country’s Arctic Commission Dmitry Rogozin this confirmed in December 2017 that he intended to give Rosatom the role as main operator and developer of the Northern Sea Route.

Deputy Minister of Transport of Russia, head of the Federal Agency for Maritime and River Transport (Rosmorrechflot) Viktor Olersky, following the meeting of the presidium of the state commission for the development of the Arctic, said 24 April 2018 that his agency has not yet agreed with Rosatom on the administrative functions of the Northern Sea Route. "With us with Rosatom the only disagreement is the administration of the Northern Sea Route - who issues a permit for navigation on the Northern Sea Route. Today, the administration of the NSR is administered by the subordinate institution of Rosmorrechflot. We believe that this is a regulatory function, they (Rosatom) believe that this will be more convenient, because Atomflot is also a fleet owner."

Within the framework of the transfer of economic functions of the operator of the Northern Sea Route (NSR) to Rosatom, the subordinate state corporation Atomflot expected to receive FSUE Rosmorport diesel icebreakers Admiral Makarov and Krasin. Some people noticed that diesel icebreakers were needed not only at the Northern Sea Route, others said that these ships will help Atomflot before the launch of a fleet of new nuclear icebreakers.

The government approved the bill that gave Rosatom the functions of managing state property on the Northern Sea Route, in particular the port infrastructure, on 26 June 2018. By order of the Ministry of Transport in 2017, the infrastructure of the seaport - coastal structures, docks, access roads, warehouses, navigation equipment, icebreakers, tugboats and ships of the port fleet.

During the transfer of nuclear icebreakers, Rosatom was tasked with making them profitable and for ten years the state corporation proved its effectiveness. Now three LK-60s are being built for budgetary money at Baltzavod, and two more plans are planned to be laid in 2019 (Rosatom will invest 50% of their cost in 94 billion rubles), and another four icebreakers on 40 MW LNG means of the budget.