The Murmansk region has been proposed as a production and testing site for the Russian Maritime Center

MURMANSK, September 29 – RIA Novosti. The Murmansk region is ready to become a production and testing site for the Russian Maritime Center, where it will be possible to test new technologies in real Arctic conditions, said the region’s governor, Andrei Chibis.

Chibis made a corresponding proposal at a meeting of the Maritime Board chaired by Assistant to the President of Russia Nikolai Patrushev and emphasized the need to locate the Arctic Basin Branch in the Arctic.

“The maritime agenda for the region is one of the key ones, and we are already carrying out practical work in this direction. Marine robotics, unmanned boats are being developed in the Murmansk region and are preparing to create a multi-medium research and production center. This is in demand in logistics, and in the delivery of goods to remote territories, and in security tasks,” said Chibis, whose words are quoted in a message from the Ministry of Information Policy of the region.

The Federal Maritime Center project, implemented on behalf of the President of the Russian Federation, is designed to provide a full cycle - from education and science to testing and implementation into production. This is necessary for the development of domestic maritime technologies, transport routes and strengthening of Russia’s transport sovereignty.

In September 2026, the world's first unmanned sea crossing with cargo on board, carried out beyond the Arctic Circle, was successfully completed in the Murmansk region. The unmanned boat "Heroes of the Fog", created by the Murmansk company NPK "Progress", a resident of the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation, traveled about 300 kilometers from Teriberka to Ostrovnoy. He delivered medicines, parcels from marketplaces and other goods to residents of a remote village.

Chibis noted that the development of Arctic transportation and changes in the composition of the fleet require a developed system of docking, repair, modernization and maintenance of the icebreaker, cargo, fishing and support fleet.

“Therefore, we see Murmansk as the second site - the production and testing site of the Russian Maritime Center, where St. Petersburg is science, education and technology development, and Murmansk is production, testing and operation in real Arctic conditions,” the governor noted.

As reported in the regional ministry, Chibis' initiative received the support of the Maritime Board. According to the Arctic authorities, this decision will allow synchronizing the development of port infrastructure with the tasks of technological sovereignty of the Arctic and the entire country.