We are second only to China and the United States, bypassing Japan, South Korea and the United Kingdom
In the annual ranking of the world's maritime powers compiled by scientists of the IMEMO RAS, Russia retained the third place, second only to China and the United States. The PRC accounts for 15.9% of the total maritime potential of all powers, the United States — 15.5%, Russia — 6.8%, according to the study. What is behind these figures, how increasing the volume of traffic along the Northern Sea Route and the development of the Arctic shelf will help strengthen Russia's position in the rating and why our country needs to maintain a large navy - in the material of Izvestia.
Consistently third
Researchers at the Institute of World Economy and International Relations (IMEMO) The Russian Academy of Sciences updates its rating of maritime powers twice a year. It is based on the study of open data published by States engaged in maritime activities. 40 categories of marine statistics, both military and civilian, are analyzed. According to the results, a rating of 100 positions is formed.
A new type of Chinese nuclear submarine
Image source: Photo: Global Look Press/Li Gang
In 2023, researchers put China at the top of the ranking. It is followed by the United States of America by a small margin. Despite the fact that the Americans are ahead of the Chinese in the number of aircraft carriers and nuclear submarines, the Chinese navy has more developed light fleet forces, and they have no equal in the world in terms of the number of merchant ships.
The PRC accounts for 15.9% of the total maritime potential of all maritime powers, and the United States accounts for 15.5%, the authors of the study cite. Russia closes the top three maritime powers with 6.8% of the world's maritime potential. The assessment of the maritime power of States also takes into account the resources of the world's oceans, which are controlled, explored and mined by the powers.
— Russia is in a solid third place in the index, — Alexander Polivach, a leading researcher at IMEMO RAS, the author of the rating, told Izvestia. — The closest one who is approaching us from below is Japan, but their pace of development is not such that they will move us.
The ritual of the solemn raising of the St. Andrew's flag on board the corvette "Hero of the Russian Federation Aldar Tsydenzhapov" of the Pacific Fleet
Image source: Photo: RIA Novosti/Vitaly Ankov
Japan ranks fourth in the sea power index. It was followed by the Republic of Korea, Great Britain, Indonesia, Norway, India and France. The high position of South Korea and Indonesia in the ranking is due to the active maritime activities of these states and a large number of controlled territorial waters. In addition, South Korea is one of the world leaders in civil shipbuilding. Thousands of ships are built annually at the shipyards of this state, which are ordered by the leading world powers, including Russia.
The role of the Navy is not decreasing
According to the authors of the rating, in the XIX and XX centuries, the naval forces played one of the leading roles in the total power of the state. Japan lost World War II only after it lost most of its fleet. And the German naval forces created many problems for the Allies in the Atlantic and the Arctic throughout the Second World War.
Researchers believe that, despite the development of missile technologies and aviation, the role of naval forces in the 21st century in the combined power of states has not decreased significantly, and the scale of the country's military fleet can be judged by its ambitions on the world stage.
A nuclear submarine of the Russian Navy during exercises within the framework of the integrated Arctic expedition of the Navy and the Russian Geographical Society "Umka-21"
Image source: Photo: RIA Novosti/Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
— Since the Second World War, the Navy has been more than just ships or submarines, it is also aviation and other forces and means. Each component of the fleet forces in the XXI century is used where it is most effective, — Alexander Polivach believes.
In terms of assessing the naval potential of the world powers, the researchers put the United States in the first place. China follows by a two—fold margin from the Americans, the Russian Navy is in third place, followed by Japan, India and the United Kingdom. Researchers note the growth of the naval potential of India, which for the first time bypassed the former metropolis in terms of the combined power of the relevant forces in 2023.
According to the authors of the rating, Russia currently remains the leading position in the Arctic zone. The icebreaking fleet of our state is the largest on the planet, and the Russian Navy has extensive experience in conducting operations in the waters of the Arctic Ocean. Taking into account the increase in the volume of work on the Northern Sea Route and the development of the shelf, Russia, according to the compilers of the rating, will not lose its maritime positions even taking into account the large-scale sanctions pressure on our country.
Andrey Krasnobaev
