New Delhi: With the West Asia conflict leading to energy shocks and disruption in supply chains due to the choking of Strait of Hormuz, the importance of alternative trade routes for countries like India has come to the fore, according to a new report.
In this context, the Eastern Maritime Corridor (EMC), an Indo-Pacific seaborne trade route between southern India and Russia’s Far East connecting Chennai port with Russia’s Vladivostok port, features both as an economic and strategic priority for India, according to an article in India Narrative.
India activated the Eastern Maritime Corridor (EMC) or Vladivostok-Chennai shipping route in 2024 amidst the Hamas-Israel war in the Red Sea zone, with Yemen’s Houthi rebels targeting international commercial shipping in the Red Sea with drones and missiles in support of Hamas, the article points out.
The US-Israel war with Iran with the blocking of Strait of Hormuz has been a more recent disruption that underscores the key role that EMC can play as an alternative trade route for India.
With India’s growing reliance on coking coal and crude oil for its steel and energy sectors requiring unhindered Russian supply, the EMC is considered a viable, stable, and cost-efficient alternative maritime route.
Rerouting of shipments via the EMC reduces transit time by roughly 24 days compared to more than 40 days via Suez Canal routes, as well as opening a direct eastern route to Russian energy and mineral resources, the article observes.
The EMC also assumes importance in the back of robust port infrastructure being developed in India under the Sagarmala project. While EMC ensures steady and quick flow of vital raw materials to India from Russia, better connectivity under the Sagarmala project ensures that the distribution of these supplies from ports to the rest of the country takes place in highly efficient and cost-effective manner, the article states.
The Indian Navy’s growing participation in the Pacific maritime security exercises with fellow East Asian/Pacific countries boosts its security objective in the region. The project also fits in with India’s Act East Policy to integrate further with the larger Pacific region to counter Chinese dominance, the article points out.
It also highlights that the EMC facilitates India’s access to the Arctic zone. China already made headlines when its cargo ship Istanbul Bridge reached the British port of Felixstowe on October 13, 2025, via the Arctic Ocean in just 20 days. The Arctic belt, rich in natural resources including rare earth materials, is fast becoming the latest zone of geopolitical and eco-economic competition.
(IANS)
