MOSCOW, October 23. /TASS/. About a hundred foreign vessels have switched to the Russian flag since the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) in June 2026, Deputy Prime Minister Andrey Nikitin said in an interview with KP.RU.

"Since the St. Petersburg Forum, a very significant number of vessels have transferred from foreign flags to the Russian flag. We have already taken a number of steps, and we still need to complete some additional work. However, even with what has been done, several dozen large vessels – closer to a hundred – have already switched to the Russian flag," Nikitin said.

Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin tasked the Cabinet of Ministers and the Ministry of Transport with focusing on measures to boost the competitiveness of the national merchant marine flag.