Chennai-Vladivostok Sea Route Soon To Be ‘Fully Operational', Says India's Shipping Minister
The new sea route connecting the south Indian port to the largest Russian city in the country's Far-Eastern region is nearly 5,600 nautical miles long and will pass through the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea before entering the Sea of Japan, where Vladivostok is located. A memorandum of intent to develop the sea lane was signed between the two countries during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's trip to Moscow in September 2019.
New Delhi is also part of the US-backed Quad initiative, which is carrying out "freedom of navigation" exercises in the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean, in what analysts say is a means to counter Beijing's rising influence in the region.
