Northern Sea Route: Formation of Russian Transport Policy in the Arctic

Abstract

This paper is aimed at a systematic analysis of the international dialogue in the Arctic as a new political space as well as at identifying problematic issues in Russian transport policy formation. The authors suggest considering the prospects for the development of the Northern sea route from two sides: from the point of view of international law and with the use of traditional mechanisms of state barriers and control. The prospects of development of international cargo transportation and the Northern sea route hereinafter - NSR) competitiveness in the near future are ambiguous. Of particular importance are the blocks of the problematic field of NSR development formed by the authors, which mainly concern infrastructure and its provision, as well as the introduction of the Northern sea route into the international shipping market with its tough competition, while NSR does not currently have the necessary quality and quantity of the necessary infrastructure. At the moment, the NSR infrastructure is underdeveloped as a region in the Russian Federation and requires a carefully designed development program, highly qualified employees and supervision of program provisions implementation that will ensure the exact implementation of all development stages. The systematic development of the Northern sea route in the long term will contribute to strengthening the position of Russia in the international arena, its economic growth, import and export of goods and services, as well as its international cooperation with other Arctic countries. The authors believe that the solution of problems with the logistics component is the primary task of the Arctic region development and ensuring the competitiveness of the Russian fleet.