Northern sea route in the context of Russian-American relations

Abstract

International interest in arctic shipping routes has increased significantly over the past few decades. The Northern sea route (NSR) has the largest potential for development in the nearest future due to its better navigational characteristics. It is located in the territorial waters of the Russian Federation and opens up prospects for year-round navigation between the major ports of East Asia and Northern Europe at a shorter distance in comparison with traditional routes. Development of the NSR takes place concurrently with the implementation of large-scale projects in the oil and gas industry along the route, which provide annual growth of traffic and volumes through it. The results of many studies, however, indicate a reassessment of the potential of the NSR, due to the continuing need for icebreaking escort for most of the navigation period. Also, a number of circumstances, such as sanctions imposed on Russia and disputes on NSR navigational procedures, have a significant impact on the development of the NSR. The United States of America (U.S.) are trying to internationalize the transport corridor, as opposed to the Russian Federation plans to strengthen the national maritime sovereignty on the NSR, since the importance of the NSR for Russian Federation is not only in extraction and transportation of hydrocarbons, but also to ensuring national security in this region. In this paper, the authors provide an overview of current research on the status and prospects of the maritime freight transportation via the NSR, point out existing problems and considered solutions. The dispute between the U.S. and Russia on the NSR as important aspect of the state policy in the Arctic is considered.