Figure 20. Approximate distances, in nautical miles, of the various route segments between Murmansk and Dutch Harbor

THE NAVIGATIONAL SETTING

The major straits used for passage

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Figure 20. Approximate distances, in nautical miles, of the various route segments between Murmansk and

Dutch Harbor.

The NSR is approached from the west through

region are often the most challenging of any part

the Barents Sea. The islands of Novaya Zemlya

of the route. Much less frequently used are Proliv

separating the Barents and Kara Seas mark the

Shokal'skogo, the strait separating the islands of

westernmost end of the NSR. In addition to the

Bolshevik and Oktyabra'skoy Revolyutsh, and the

high-latitude route around Cape Zheleniya, the

high-latitude route around Cape Arkticheski, the

archipelago's northern tip located at 81N. The

northernmost tip of the archipelago, there are three

navigable passages through this island group that

shortest distance from Murmansk to the Vil'kitskogo

can be used by deep-draft vessels. The southern-

Strait is approximately 1260 nm, around Cape

most two are most commonly used: the straits of

Zheleniya. Following the coastal route, the dis-

Yugorskiy Shar, which lies south of Vaygach Is-

tance from Murmansk to the Vil'kitskogo Strait

land, and Karskiye Varota (the Kara Gate) to the

(through the Kara Gate) is 1510 nm.

island's north. The third, Matochkin Shar, the strait

The East Siberian Sea is usually entered from

that divides Novaya Zemlya proper into two large

the west in one of three ways: 1) the southernmost

islands, was often used over the last 4050 years

passage is the Dmitriya Lapteva Strait, lying be-

as a nuclear test site and is currently closed to

tween Lyakhovskiy Island and the mainland; 2)

shipping (Kjerstad 1994). The shortest distance

the Sannikova Strait, the next further north; and 3)

from Murmansk to the Kara Sea and the western

the high-latitude route to the north of the entire

terminus of the NSR is 465 nm, through the Ma-

archipelago. The straight-line distance between the

tochkin Shar Strait. The greatest distance is 745

Vil'kitskogo Strait and either of these two straits is

nm, around Cape Zheleniya. The average depth

600 nm, and the distance from Murmansk is 1660

of the Kara Sea is 90 m (Hume 1984).

2360 nm.

The NSR enters the Laptev Sea after passing

The Longa Strait, the 75-nm-wide water pas-

through or around the Severnaya Zemlya archi-

sage between Wrangel Island and the Chukotka

pelago. The most often-used passage is also the

mainland, marks the transition from the East Sibe-

southernmost, Vil'kitskogo Strait. It separates the

rian to the Chukchi Sea. The Ayon and the Wrangel

island group from Cape Chelyuskin on the Taymyr

ice massifs in this area usually create some of the

Peninsula. At nearly 78N, Cape Chelyuskin is the

most challenging ice conditions for navigation on

Russian mainland's most northerly point and con-

the entire route. However, the ice within the strait

sequently the weather and ice conditions in this

is nearly always more navigable than it is to the

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