Northern Sea Route
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bc/Map_of_the_Arctic_region_showing_the_Northeast_Passage%2C_the_Northern_Sea_Route_and_Northwest_Passage%2C_and_bathymetry.png/440px-Map_of_the_Arctic_region_showing_the_Northeast_Passage%2C_the_Northern_Sea_Route_and_Northwest_Passage%2C_and_bathymetry.png)
The Northern Sea Route (Russian: Се́верный морско́й путь, Severnyy morskoy put, shortened to Севморпуть, Sevmorput) is a shipping route officially defined by Russian legislation as lying east of Novaya Zemlya and specifically running along the Russian Arctic coast from the Kara Sea, along Siberia, to the Bering Strait. The entire route lies in Arctic waters and within Russia's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Parts are free of ice for only two months per year. The overall route on Russia's side of the Arctic between North Cape and the Bering Strait has been called the Northeast Passage, analogous to the Northwest Passage on the Canada side.
While the Northeast Passage includes all the East Arctic seas and connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, the Northern Sea Route does not include the Barents Sea, and it therefore does not reach the Atlantic.[1][2][3]
Melting Arctic ice caps are likely to increase traffic in and the commercial viability of the Northern Sea Route.[4][5] One study, for instance, projects, "remarkable shifts in trade flows between Asia and Europe, diversion of trade within Europe, heavy shipping traffic in the Arctic and a substantial drop in Suez traffic. Projected shifts in trade also imply substantial pressure on an already threatened Arctic ecosystem."[6]
History
The route was first conquered by Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld's Vega expedition.
A Russian Federal state Institution “The Northern Sea Route Administration” was established in 2013 to organize navigation in the water area of the Northern sea route by issuing navigation permissions and contributing to support activities.[7]
Number of complete through transits per flag state.[8]
Year | Total | Russia | Singapore | Finland | Norway | Germany | Spain | China | Greece | Hong Kong | Sweden | Netherlands | Other |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2011 | 41 | 26 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | |||||
2012 | 46 | 18 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 15 | |||||||
2013 | 71 | 46 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 18 | ||||||
2014 | 53 | 47 | 3 | 3 | |||||||||
2015 | 18 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | |||||||
2016 | 18 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 8 |
In August 2017, the first ship traversed the Northern Sea Route without the use of ice-breakers.[9] According to the New York Times, this forebodes more shipping through the Arctic, as the sea ice melts and makes shipping easier.[9] In 2018 Maersk Line sent the new "ice-class" container ship Venta Maersk through the route to gather data on operational feasibility, though they did not currently see it as commercially attractive.[10] Escort assistance was required for three days from the Russian Nuclear-powered icebreaker 50 Let Pobedy.[11][12]
A 2016 report by the Copenhagen Business School found that large-scale trans-Arctic shipping will become economically viable by 2040.[13][9]
In 2018 the government transferred the main responsibility for the Northern Sea Route to Rosatom.[14]
See also
- Arctic shipping routes
- Arctic Bridge
- Arctic cooperation and politics
- Arctic policy of Russia
- David Melgueiro
- List of Russian explorers
- Northwest Passage
- Territorial claims in the Arctic
- Transpolar Sea Route
Further reading
- Østreng, Willy; Eger, Karl Magnus; Fløistad, Brit; Jørgensen-Dahl, Arnfinn; Lothe, Lars; Mejlænder-Larsen, Morten; Wergeland, Tor (2013). Shipping in Arctic Waters: A Comparison of the Northeast, Northwest and Trans Polar Passages. Springer. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-16790-4. ISBN 978-3642167898.
- Keupp (Ed.), Marcus M. (2015). The Northern Sea Route. SpringerGabler. ISBN 978-3-658-04080-2.
References
- ^ a b Brigham, L.; McCalla, R.; Cunningham, E.; Barr, W.; VanderZwaag, D.; Chircop, A.; Santos-Pedro, V.M.; MacDonald, R.; Harder, S.; Ellis, B.; Snyder, J.; Huntington, H.; Skjoldal, H.; Gold, M.; Williams, M.; Wojhan, T.; Williams, M.; Falkingham, J. (2009). Brigham, Lawson; Santos-Pedro, V.M.; Juurmaa, K. (eds.). Arctic marine shipping assessment (AMSA) (PDF). Norway: Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment (PAME), Arctic Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 1, 2014.
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suggested) (help) - ^ Østreng, Willy; Eger, Karl Magnus; Fløistad, Brit; Jørgensen-Dahl, Arnfinn; Lothe, Lars; Mejlænder-Larsen, Morten; Wergeland, Tor (2013). Shipping in Arctic Waters: A Comparison of the Northeast, Northwest and Trans Polar Passages. Springer. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-16790-4. ISBN 978-3642167898.
- ^ Buixadé Farré, Albert; Stephenson, Scott R.; Chen, Linling; Czub, Michael; Dai, Ying; Demchev, Denis; Efimov, Yaroslav; Graczyk, Piotr; Grythe, Henrik; Keil, Kathrin; Kivekäs, Niku; Kumar, Naresh; Liu, Nengye; Matelenok, Igor; Myksvoll, Mari; O'Leary, Derek; Olsen, Julia; Pavithran .A.P., Sachin; Petersen, Edward; Raspotnik, Andreas; Ryzhov, Ivan; Solski, Jan; Suo, Lingling; Troein, Caroline; Valeeva, Vilena; van Rijckevorsel, Jaap; Wighting, Jonathan (October 16, 2014). "Commercial Arctic shipping through the Northeast Passage: Routes, resources, governance, technology, and infrastructure" (PDF). Polar Geography. Taylor & Francis. doi:10.1080/1088937X.2014.965769. Archived from the original on December 5, 2015.
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suggested) (help) - ^ Fountain, Henry (2017-07-23). "With More Ships in the Arctic, Fears of Disaster Rise". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-07-24.
- ^ McGrath, Matt (2017-08-24). "First tanker crosses northern sea route without ice breaker". BBC News. Retrieved 2017-08-24.
- ^ Bekkers, Eddy; Francois, Joseph F.; Rojas-Romagosa, Hugo (2016-12-01). "Melting Ice Caps and the Economic Impact of Opening the Northern Sea Route". The Economic Journal: n/a–n/a. doi:10.1111/ecoj.12460. ISSN 1468-0297. Archived from the original on 2016-12-20.
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suggested) (help) - ^ Object of activity and functions of NSRA Archived 2016-08-11 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Northern Sea Route Information Office - Transit Statistics Archived 2016-09-04 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b c Goldman, Russell (2017-08-25). "Russian Tanker Completes Arctic Passage Without Aid of Icebreakers". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-08-26.
- ^ "Container ship to break the ice on Russian Arctic route". BBC News. 23 August 2018. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
- ^ Embury-Dennis, Tom (2017-09-18). "Container ship crosses Arctic route for first time in history due to melting sea ice". The Independent. ISSN 0951-9467. Retrieved 2017-09-20.
- ^ Humpert, Malte (2017-09-14). "Maersk Container Ship Transits Arctic Ocean With Icebreaker Escort". High North News. Retrieved 2017-09-20.
- ^ "Arctic shipping - Commercial opportunities and challenges" (PDF).
- ^ Nilsen, Thomas (2018-07-18). "Vyacheslav Ruksha will lead the newly established Northern Sea Route Directorate". The Barents Observer.
External links
- Russian Federation Northern Sea Route Administration site, including current information on all vessels transiting
- Rules of navigation in the water area of the Northern Sea Route Ministry of Transport of Russia, January 17, 2013
- International Northern Sea Route Programme
- Russian State Museum of the Arctic and Antarctic, The discovery and history of exploration of the Northern Sea Route
- Pictures - during NE passage
- Tanker Vladimir Tikhonov Completes Successful Northern Sea Route Transit in a Week
- Armstrong, Terence. The Northern Sea Route (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1952)
- Belov, M. I. Istoriia otkrytiia i osveniia Severnogo Morskogo Puti, 4 vols. (Leningrad, 1956–1969)
- Horensma, Piers. The Soviet Arctic (London: Routledge, 1991)
- McCannon, John. Red Arctic (New York: Oxford University Press, 1998)
- Konyshev, Valery & Sergunin, Alexander: Is Russia a revisionist military power in the Arctic? Defense & Security Analysis, September 2014.
- Konyshev, Valery & Sergunin, Alexander. Russia in search of its Arctic strategy: between hard and soft power? Polar Journal, April 2014.