OREANDA-NEWS  Cargo traffic in the Caspian Sea will grow significantly taking into account the development of the international North-South transport corridor, and this requires the development of the fleet and infrastructure, including the necessary depth of fairways, said Nikolai Patrushev, Assistant to the President of the Russian Federation, Chairman of the Maritime Board, at a meeting on the development of the shipbuilding complex of the Astrakhan region.

According to the assistant to the head of state, in the development of the Caspian region, a key role "is assigned to the development of the international North-South transport corridor," and therefore "taking into account the projected growth of cargo traffic along this sea route, it is necessary to develop the fleet and port infrastructure, take measures to ensure the safety of navigation, including to achieve the depth of fairways, ensuring the specified parameters of the passage of ships".

All this requires reaching a new level of shipbuilding in the Astrakhan region, and for this it is important to develop scientific and technical potential, modernize capacities, attract specialists, and introduce innovative digital technologies, Patrushev noted.

The head of the Maritime Board spoke about a series of meetings held on the ground, which are designed to help develop approaches to the integrated development of shipbuilding in the Russian Federation. During such trips to the regions where the enterprises are located, "with the participation of representatives of educational organizations, training issues were considered and decisions were made aimed at meeting the needs of the industry," Patrushev shared. The revision of engineering training programs in universities should contribute to this.