The Northern Sea Route
Its Development and
Evolving State of Operations in the 1990s
NATHAN D. MULHERIN
route, regular service from Murmansk across the
INTRODUCTION
Barents and Kara Seas and up the Yenisey River to
Dudinka has been operating virtually year-round
The Northern Sea Route
The Northern Sea Route, or NSR, is the mod-
since about 1980.
ern-day designation for the Arctic marine route
Several variations of the NSR are possible (Fig.
that extends from the Russian islands of Novaya
2), depending mainly on the transient ice condi-
Zemlya to the Bering Strait, which separates the
tions at the time. The first is the most southerly
state of Alaska from Russia. It extends a distance
and conventional coastal route. The second fol-
of between 2000 and 3100 nautical miles (nm)
lows a midroute from Cape Zhelaniya (the north-
along Russia's northern coastline, where encoun-
ern tip of Novaya Zemlya) to Dikson and from
ters with bitter cold temperatures, ice-choked seas,
Novaya Sibir ' Island to the port of Pevek. A third
shallow straits, blinding fog, and isolation are rou-
route, which is shorter for through traffic, stays to
tine. The route extends across or into four seas of
the north of Cape Zhelaniya, Cape Arkticheski
the Arctic Basin: the Kara, the Laptev, the East
(the northern tip of Severnaya Zemlya), and the
Siberian, and the Chukchi. It is the most challeng-
Novosibirskiy Islands. A fourth route, 700 nm
ing segment of the historic Northeast Passage from
shorter than the coastal route, is the great circle
Europe to the Far East, offering a shorter distance
route by way of the geographic North Pole. This
between seaports in the North Atlantic and the
fourth course is not economically feasible at the
North Pacific relative to the traditional Suez and
present time, but in the future it may become vi-
Panama Canal routes. Transit distances using the
able as transportation technology improves.
NSR between North Pacific and European ports
are as much as 60% shorter than the more south-
International interest
ern canal routes.
Using their highly advanced fleet of icebreaking
For approximately 50 years before 1991, the So-
ships, the Russians have the experience and tech-
viet Union devoted significant energy and re-
nological capability to move ships virtually any-
sources to developing a vast marine transporta-
where in the Arctic during the summer months, a
tion system to help bring the abundant natural
fact that has been demonstrated by several trips to
resources of Russia's isolated northern frontier to
the North Pole by Russian nuclear-powered ice-
its more populated manufacturing centers (Fig. 1).
breakers since 1977. Year-round maintenance of
Despite the considerable physical challenges of the
the entire route is currently being promoted by the
Arctic regions, an intricate system of seaports, navi-
Russians as a way of bringing hard currency into
gation aids, communications systems, icebreaking
the country. The shorter shipping route might serve
ships, ice forecasting, and piloting expertise was
to open the entire northern region more to eco-
developed, to the point where open-ocean cargo
nomic development, foreign trade, and tourism.
transportation now routinely occurs four months
The shift from socialism to a privatized, mar-
of the year along the entire Eurasian Arctic coast-
ket-driven economy in the Soviet Union that be-
line. Shipping traffic, both local and full transit,
gan around 1985 resulted in economic and social
plies the entire route from the beginning of July to
disruption. The problems were compounded in
the end of October. On the western end of the
1991 with the transformation of the Soviet Union
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