The Russian government has amended its list of ports and points within the inland sea waters and territorial sea adjacent to the Russian Federation's Arctic zone and Far Eastern Federal District at which foreign tourist vessels are permitted to call. The original list was approved in 2019 and applies only to vessels holding an operating permit issued by the federal executive body responsible for the tourism sector. Under the revision, the Port of Egvekinot in Chukotka and Simushir Island in Sakhalin Oblast have been removed from the list, while a substantially larger group of new sites has been added.
Newly opened points include the villages of Lavrentiya and Uelen in Chukotka; Russkaya Bay, Kavacha Lagoon, Anana Bay, Yavevyn Lagoon and Severnaya Lagoon in Kamchatka; the Shantar Islands and Malminsky Islands in Khabarovsk Krai; and Talan Island, the Koni Peninsula, the coast of Tauiskaya Bay and the coast of Sheltinga Bay in Magadan Oblast. In Primorsky Krai, the Sikhote-Alin State Nature Biosphere Reserve named after K.G. Abramov has been added to the previously approved sites, while in Murmansk Oblast the village of Teriberka and in Arkhangelsk Oblast the Port of Onega have also been included. For Krasnoyarsk Krai, the list has been supplemented with Belukha Island, Faddey Island, Nordvik Bay, Anabarsky Bay, Hercules Island and Popov-Chukhchina Island; and for the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Oleniy Island and Neupokoyev Island.
The proposal to widen the list was floated in 2025 by Nikolai Patrushev, aide to the Russian President and Chairman of the Maritime Board. Patrushev argued that increasing the number of authorised entry points in the Arctic and Far East would both lift maritime tourism revenue and intensify the use of port infrastructure in those remote regions. The amendment continues to apply only to vessels holding the dedicated tourism-sector operating permit issued by the federal authority — meaning that commercial cargo and general passenger services are not covered, and that the expansion targets specifically tour-operator vessels.
From a supply chain and port-economy perspective, the direct impact on cargo flows is limited but the regional implications are notable. First, most of the newly added points sit along the Northern Sea Route (NSR) corridor and near the Bering Strait, supporting Russia's effort to legitimise the Arctic route through non-cargo uses. Second, points such as Teriberka in Murmansk and the Port of Onega in Arkhangelsk that were previously used only locally or for research could now host cruise and private-yacht traffic, requiring expanded chandlery services such as bunker, food-and-beverage, and pilotage. Third, broadened access to the Shantar and Talan islands signals an opening for a niche low-frequency, high-ticket wildlife-tourism market — fitting with Russia's broader search for tourism revenue diversification under a sanctions-constrained environment.
Key Takeaways:
1. The Russian government amended the 2019 list of Arctic and Far Eastern points open to foreign tourist vessels.
2. New sites added include the villages of Lavrentiya and Uelen in Chukotka, Russkaya Bay in Kamchatka, and the Shantar Islands.
3. The Port of Egvekinot in Chukotka and Simushir Island in Sakhalin have been removed from the list.
4. The expansion was first proposed in 2025 by Nikolai Patrushev, Chairman of Russia's Maritime Board.
5. The regulation applies only to vessels holding a tourism-sector operating permit; cargo and general passenger services are excluded.
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