Eastern Maritime Corridor (EMC)

About Eastern Maritime Corridor (EMC)

• It is a proposed sea route between the Indian port of Chennai and the Russian port of Vladivostok.
• The corridor is estimated to bring down transportation time between Indian and Russian ports in the Far East Region by up to 16 days.
• Once complete, it will take 24 days, down from presently over 40 days, to transport goods from India to Far East Russia.
• The present trade route between Mumbai and St. Petersburg covers a distance of 8,675 nautical miles.
• The EMC will cover a distance of about 5,600 nautical miles, which is significantly shorter than the current route via the Suez Canal.
• For India, it will provide a shorter and more efficient route to access the markets of the Far East, such as China and Japan.

Key Facts About Vladivostok

• It is a major city in Russia, located in the Far East of the country.
• It is located on the Golden Horn Bay, north of North Korea, and a short distance from Russia’s border with China.
• It is the largest port on Russia’s Pacific coast, and home to the Pacific Fleet of the Russian Navy.
• It is the eastern railhead of the legendary Trans-Siberian Railway, which connects the Far East of Russia to the capital Moscow, and further west to the countries of Europe. 
• At Vladivostok’s massive port, shipping and commercial fishing are the main commercial activities.

Q1) What is the Suez Canal?

A human-made waterway, the Suez Canal is one of the world’s most heavily used shipping lanes, carrying over 12% of world trade by volume.It is situated in northeastern Egypt, spanning across the Isthmus of Suez. The canal connects Port Said on the Mediterranean Sea to the Indian Ocean via the Egyptian city of Suez on the Red Sea. It extends approximately 120 miles (193 kilometers) from the city of Port Said in the north to the city of Suez in the south. The canal separates the African continent from the Sinai Peninsula. 

Source: This new trade route could revolutionize Russia-India trade and strategic partnership