Northern Sea Route

Map of the Arctic region showing the Northern Sea Route, in the context of the Northeast Passage, and Northwest Passage^[1]

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]

History

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.^[4]

Number of transits per flag state^[5]

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

External links

• 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.
• Konyshev, Valery & Sergunin, Alexander: Russia's Policies on the Territorial Disputes in the Arctic Journal of International Relations and Foreign Policy, March 2014, Vol. 2, No. 1, pp. 55–83.