Global InformationNorthern Sea Route information
The Northern Sea Route (NSR) (Russian: Се́верный морско́й путь, romanized: Severnyy morskoy put, shortened to Севморпуть, Sevmorput) is a shipping route about 5,600 kilometres (3,500 mi) long. The Northern Sea Route (NSR) is the shortest shipping route between the western part of Eurasia and the Asia-Pacific region.[2]
Administratively, the Northern Sea Route begins at the boundary between the Barents and Kara Seas (the Kara Strait) and ends in the Bering Strait (Cape Dezhnev). The NSR straddles the seas of the Arctic Ocean (Kara, Laptev, East Siberian and Chukchi Seas). [3]
The entire route lies in Arctic waters and within Russia's exclusive economic zone (EEZ), and is included in what has been called the Northeast Passage, analogous to Canada's Northwest Passage. The Northern Sea Route itself does not include the Barents Sea, and it therefore does not reach the Atlantic.[1][4][5]
The Northern Sea Route currently serves the Arctic ports and major rivers of Siberia by importing fuel, equipment, food and exporting timber and minerals. There are currently six major seaports located on the NSR route in the Arctic Zone of the Russian Federation: Sabetta, Dikson, Dudinka, Khatanga, Tiksi, and Pevek ports.[6] Some parts of the route are only free of ice for two months per year, but melting Arctic ice caps are likely to increase traffic and the commercial viability of the Northern Sea Route.[7][8] 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".[9] At the same time, research conducted by the Center for Marine Research showed that exceeding the maximum permissible concentrations in the atmospheric air, sea waters, and bottom sediments, which could indicate the impact of economic activities at this stage of development of the NSR was not recorded.[10] [11]
Proponents of using the sea route for global trade claim that because it is considerably shorter than the existing sea routes from Asia to Europe, usage emits less CO2,[12] by cutting time at sea, and fuel consumption, by more than half. The distance from Murmansk (Russia) to Yokohama (Japan) through the Suez Canal is 12,840 nautical miles, but only 5,770 nautical miles through the Northern Sea Route. For the corporate players in bulk shipping of relatively low-value raw materials, cost savings for fuel are a crucial driver to explore the Northern Sea Route for commercial transits, more than delivery time, or environmental concerns. Sailing along the NSR can also help to reduce emission costs due to shorter distances. With the maritime industry joining the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) from 2024 and large freight companies receiving huge carbon bills, the savings on the EU ETS from reducing emissions could be in addition to the economic benefits for shippers.[13]
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
AMSA 2009was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Chaudhury, Dipanjan Roy (2024-01-15). "Russia's Northern Sea Route emerges as key connectivity initiative in Indo-Pacific region". The Economic Times. ISSN 0013-0389. Retrieved 2024-05-13.
- ^ "Northern Sea Route garnering attention as fast, efficient trade route". www.aa.com.tr. Retrieved 2024-05-13.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Østreng 2013was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
Buixade Farre 2014was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Schislyaev, S. M.; Kovalenko, E. A.; Barykin*, S. E.; Schislyaeva, E. R. (2019-12-31). "International Logistics Northern Sea Rouite Hubs Infrastructure". European Proceedings of Social and Behavioural Sciences. Project Management in the Regions of Russia. doi:10.15405/epsbs.2019.12.05.123. ISSN 2357-1330.
- ^ 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" (PDF). The Economic Journal. 128 (610): 1095–1127. doi:10.1111/ecoj.12460. ISSN 1468-0297. S2CID 55162828.
- ^ "14 Temmuz 2022 - MERSİN". interpress.com. Retrieved 2024-05-15.
- ^ "Rosatom and DP World discuss the Northern Sea Route's role in supply chain sustainability at Expo 2020". www.zawya.com. Retrieved 2024-05-15.
- ^ Schøyen, H., & Bråthen, S. (2011) Archived 21 February 2015 at the Wayback Machine The Northern Sea Route versus the Suez Canal: cases from bulk shipping. Journal of Transport Geography, 19(4), 977–983
- ^ "Red Sea Crisis Could Lead to a Fundamental Restructuring of Global Trade Patterns". EconoTimes. 2024-03-17. Retrieved 2024-05-22.