Explained: The sea route from Chennai to Vladivostok

News:India and Russia have signed a Memorandum of Intent to open a full fledged maritime route between Chennai to Vladivostok.

Facts:

About Vladivostok:

• It is located on the Golden Horn Bay north of North Korea and a short distance from Russia’s border with China.
• Vladivostok is the largest port on Russia’s Pacific coast and home to the Pacific Fleet of the Russian Navy.
• At Vladivostok’s massive port, shipping and commercial fishing are the main commercial activities.

Sea Route From Chennai To Vladivostok:

• The sea route from Vladivostok to Chennai covers a distance of approximately 5,600 nautical miles, or about 10,300 km. 
• The sea route would pass through the southward on the Sea of Japan past the Korean peninsula.
• It then passes through Taiwan and the Philippines in the South China Sea.
• The route then reaches Singapore and through the Strait of Malacca, it emerges into the Bay of Bengal and then cut across through the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago to Chennai.

Significance of this route for India:

• It will ensure connectivity between the two major ports which will give impetus to the cooperation between India and the Russian Far East.
• India is building nuclear power plants with Russia’s collaboration in Kudankulam on the sea coast in Tamil Nadu’s Tirunelveli district.The opening of a sea route will help in the project.
• It will also increase India’s presence in the Indo-Pacific and especially the South China Sea, which is a deeply contested part of the ocean that China claims it completely.
• The sea route will also enable transfer of cargo between Chennai and Vladivostok in 24 days in comparison to over 40 days currently taken to transport goods from East Russia to Europe.