Expert Explains | How Eastern Maritime Corridor can diversify India’s energy flows

The Eastern Maritime Corridor (EMC) is a critical connectivity advantage for India with Russia. Launched in 2019, the EMC aims to diversify India's energy flows and reduce its dependence on the west coast maritime supply chains. By connecting India to Russia's Trans-Arctic Transport Corridor (TATC), the EMC offers shorter transit times and greater resilience to geopolitical disruptions.

The EMC reduces the journey to a Russian port by one-third, enabling trades to take only 24 days via Chennai and Vladivostok, compared to 36 days to reach St Petersburg through the Suez Canal. This efficiency is vital in light of ongoing geopolitical risks and chokepoint vulnerabilities in the Red Sea and the Strait of Hormuz. The Eastern Maritime Corridor also opens up access to mineral-rich Russian Far East and Arctic resources, including significant reserves of oil, gas, coal, metals, precious stones, and other industrial minerals.