The Northern Sea Route (NSR) (Russian: Се́верный морско́й путь|Severnyy morskoy put, shortened to Севморпуть, Sevmorput) is a shipping route about long. The Northern Sea Route (NSR) is the shortest shipping route between the western part of Eurasia and the Asia-Pacific region.[1]
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).[2]
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.
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.[3] 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.[4] [5] 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".[6] 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.[7] [8]
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,[9] 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.[10]
The route was first conquered by Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld's expedition with a single wintering in 1878–79.
The Northern Sea Route is one of several Arctic shipping routes. Since the mid-1930s the Northern Sea Route has been an officially managed and administered shipping route along the northern/Arctic coast of Russia. A convoy of seven brand new merchant vessels (900 DWT to 5,500 DWT) built for People's Republic of China but under Polish flag from Gdynia with the assistance of Soviet icebreakers reached port of Pevek (via Kara Gates, Vilkitsky, Dmitry Laptev and Sannikov Straits), two days of navigation before Bering Strait in 1956.[11] The administrative entity was sequentially updated, upgraded and renamed. Thus, in 2013, the Federal State Budgetary Institution “Administration of the Northern Sea Route” was created. In 2022 organizational authority was transferred to the Main Directorate of the Northern Sea Route of Rosatom.[12]
Since 2008, the structure of Rosatom includes the Russian nuclear-powered icebreaker, designed to travel the NSR.
Beginning in the late 2010s, Russia began improving its defense resources near the Northern Sea Route.[13]
Two-thirds of the Arctic seas remain ice-free in summer, that is why ships have more route options. In August 2017, the first ship traversed the Northern Sea Route without the use of icebreakers.[14] According to the New York Times, this foreshadows more shipping through the Arctic, as the sea ice melts and makes shipping easier.
The Dutch Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis projected in 2015 that the Northern Sea Route may be ice-free by 2030, earlier than the Northwest Passage or Transpolar Sea Route.[15] A 2016 report by the Copenhagen Business School found that large-scale trans-Arctic shipping may become economically viable by 2040.[16] According to the report of the Federal State Budgetary Institution “AARI” “Forecast estimates of the state of sea ice in the period 2030–2050” ice conditions in the Arctic Ocean (AO) in the period 2030–2050 will change towards lighter temperatures, but only slightly compared to modern ones, since these years will be the phase of decreasing air temperature during the 74-year fluctuation. Scientists conclude that ice conditions in the Arctic Ocean in 2030–2050 are expected to be milder from August to October. There will be no seasonal loss of ice cover in the Arctic Ocean by 2050. Even in the “lightest” year, the Arctic seas will be ice-free only from August to October. For the period 2030–2050 there will be a phase of decreasing air temperature during the 74-year fluctuation, and ice conditions in the Arctic seas will be close to modern ones.[17]
The Russian Maritime Register of Shipping maintains an ice class. The Rosneft corporation often contracts the Zvezda Shipyard to build its LNG carriers,[18] for use with the output of the Trebs and Titov oil fields.[19] The Yamal LNG project of Novatek is another industrial scale development which transports product via the NSR.
In July 2018 the Russian government transferred the main responsibility for the Northern Sea Route to Rosatom.[20] Rosatom is a state corporation that manages the world's only nuclear icebreakers. As of 2020 the fleet included seven vessels: Yamal, Project 10521 50 Let Pobedy, Taymyr, Vaygach, Arktika, Siberia and Ural, and as of press date the world's only transport vessel with nuclear power plant: the Sevmorput (1988). The last three nuclear icebreakers are the latest of Project 22220. Rosatom also provides navigation and hydrographic support in the waters of the Northern Sea Route, develops the infrastructure of sea harbors, and manages the state property of these ports.[21]
In August 2018 Maersk Line sent the new "ice-class" container ship Venta Maersk through the route to gather data on operational feasibility, though they did not currently see it as commercially attractive.[22] [23] Escort assistance was required for three days from the Russian nuclear-powered icebreaker .[24] [25]
In June 2019 Dubai-based DP World signed agreements with the Russian Direct Investment Fund, ROSATOM, and Norilsk Nickel aiming to develop the Northern Sea Route.[26]
As the Northern Sea Route is a strategically important transport artery, it can already be called economically profitable in comparison, for example, with the Suez Canal due to a number of reasons:
As the development of the icebreaking fleet is the most important condition for constant navigation in Arctic waters, another three nuclear icebreakers of Project 22220 are currently being built in St. Petersburg: Yakutiya, Chukotka and Leningrad laid down in January 2024.[27] All nuclear icebreakers of Project 22220 will be able to change the draft from 10.5 to 8.1 meters, depending on the depth, which will allow them to work both at sea and in the mouths of Siberian rivers.
Nuclear icebreakers of Project 22220 are powered by two RITM-200 reactors and capable of overcoming ice up to 3 meters thick.
In addition, the Zvezda shipyard is working on the construction of the world's most powerful nuclear icebreaker Project 10510 "Russia", scheduled to commissioning in 2027. It is also planned to build two more icebreakers of this prototype. These icebreakers will be equipped with a two-reactor power plant with RITM-400 reactors with a capacity of 315 MW. The maximum ice thickness overcome by these icebreakers will exceed 4 meters.[28]
It was reported in 2023 that Rosmorport, a state-owned agency of the Russian Ministry of Transport, has plans to run cruises for tourists in icebreakers along the entire Northern Sea Route between Murmansk and Vladivostok.[29]
It was reported in July 2024 that Sibir would escort the light ice-class vessel Xin Xin Hai 1 on its voyage from the Port of Taicang near Shanghai via the Bering Strait and the NSR to the Port of Arkhangelsk before travelling on toward ports in the northern Europe.[30] The New New Shipping Line of Hainan Yangpu, which owns at least two ice-class vessels, completed seven transits between July 2023 and December 2023,[30] and in June 2024 signed an agreement with Rosatom to establish a year-round arctic shipping route.[31]
Rosatom is a state corporation that organizes the navigation of vessels in the waters of the NSR in accordance with the Merchant Shipping Code, manages a fleet of powerful nuclear icebreakers, ensures the safety and uninterrupted operation of navigation, provides port services for gas tankers in case of unfavorable weather conditions. Rosatom also provides navigation and hydrographic support in the waters of the Northern Sea Route, develops the infrastructure of sea harbors, and manages the state property of these ports.[32] For this purpose, the Directorate of the Northern Sea Route was formed, that now manages three subordinate organizations "Atomflot" (ROSATOMFLOT), "Hydrographic Enterprise" and "ChukotAtomEnergo".
Rosatom is a Legacy Member of the Arctic Economic Council, that's why all the operations are aimed to establish economic well-being, environmental neutrality, and human capital development.
Recently, the "Main Directorate of the Northern Sea Route" ("Glavsevmorput") was established on the basis of the Naval Operations Headquarters of FSUE “Atomflot”.[33] The main purpose of the creation of Glavsevmorput is to organize the navigation of vessels in the waters of the Northern Sea Route. Glavsevmorput Federal State Budgetary Institution solves the following tasks: ensuring the organization of icebreaking vessels taking into account the hydrometeorological, ice, and navigation conditions in the waters of the NSR; vessels navigation in the waters of the NSR; issuance, suspension, renewal, and termination of permits for sailing vessels in the waters of the NSR. To solve these tasks, the department arranges icebreaker fleet vessels in the waters of the NSR, monitors the traffic in the NSR water area, provides information on hydrometeorological, ice, and navigation conditions, and processes information from vessels located in the NSR water area.
Researchers and economists usually compare the Northern Sea Route with the conventional Suez Canal Route. The first route is shorter, which allow to save on fuel, but it is connected with environmental risks and increased operating costs. However, the above-mentioned research can be considered disputable and incomplete, as it does not consider such factors like the reduced length of the Northern Sea Route (comparing to the Suez Canal) and, therefore, reduced CO2 emissions; the absence of charge payments for the passage; no risks of a pirate attack; the reduced cost of journey due to its reduced length.[34]
Major shipping companies encounter substantial costs due to carbon emissions, whereas the deployment of nuclear icebreakers, which operate without hydrocarbon fuel and produce very low carbon emissions, offers an economic advantage for shippers.
Some studies recommend the joint usage of the two routes where the Northern Sea Route is used in summer when it is almost ice-free, and the Suez Canal Route is sailed in the rest of the year.[35] The researchers also claim that the economic feasibility of the NSR largely depends on its weather conditions.
Even though the Arctic ice is melting and Polar routes are being extensively studied, the amount of cargo shipped through the Northern Sea Route (NSR) remains low in comparison to the Suez Canal. Though, the cargo traffic is steadily growing every year. The research shows that the NSR-SCR combined shipping scheme can be more competitive than the use of the Suez Canal Route only. If the shipping company provides sufficient loading on the NSR, uses a reliable ice-class vessel for navigation and the price of crude oil is high, the economic advantage of the NSR-SCR combined shipping scheme is obvious. Ice thickness directly affects the shipping cost. Now, when the Arctic ice is slowly melting due to weather conditions, the cost of icebreaking service is expected to reduce. Also, vessels of some ice classes can sail on the NSR independently. That is why the NSR icebreaker escort fee may be several times lower than the SCR toll.[36]
State Corporation Rosatom assumes the possibility and functions of the NSR and ensures the safety of navigation on the high technological level. Besides organizing the navigation along the NSR and the icebreaking services with the world's only nuclear icebreaker fleet, Rosatom is planning to implement the Arctic Ice Regime Shipping System (AIRSS) methodology. This system will represent a digital space that will provide various services to cargo carriers, shipowners, captains, insurers, and other participants in the logistics market on the NSR. In particular, it involves issuing permits for the passage of vessels, monitoring, dispatching, and managing the work of the fleet. The single digital platform will collect information from all the available sources, for example, hydrometeorological data, the location of ships and icebreakers, port congestion. As a result, users will receive an advanced "ice navigator" that will allow to plot a precise route in view of the changing ice conditions of the NSR. In other words, the study of Sibul et al. proposed a path-finding algorithm for the NSR strategic assessment.[37] It uses real weather as input and find the optimal shipping route.
Number of complete through transits per flag state.[38]
| Year | Total | Russia | Singapore | Finland | Norway | Germany | Spain | China | Greece | Hong Kong | Sweden | Netherlands | Portugal | Other | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 2 | 2 | |||||||||||||
| 2008 | 3 | 3 | |||||||||||||
| 2009 | 5 | 5 | |||||||||||||
| 2010 | 10 | 10 | |||||||||||||
| 2011 | 41 | 26 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | |||||||
| 2012 | 46 | 18 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 15 | |||||||||
| 2013 | 71 | 46 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 18 | ||||||||
| 2014 | 53 | 47 | 3 | 3 | |||||||||||
| 2015 | 18 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | |||||||||
| 2016 | 18 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 8 | ||||||||||
| 2017 | 27 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 10 | ||||||||
| 2018 | 27 | 8 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | |||||||
| 2019 | 37 | ||||||||||||||
| 2020 | 64 | ||||||||||||||
| 2021 | 85 | 12 | 4 | 11 | 7 | 8 | 13 | 30 | |||||||
| 2022 | 43 | 36 | 7 |
The total traffic volume on the Northern Sea Route in 2022 was 34.034 million tonnes, slightly less than in 2021. Total number of voyages in 2022 was 2994, made by 314 vessels. In the months from January to July, the number of voyages was higher than in 2021. 280 voyages was made with LNG from the Sabetta port.[39]
The volume of cargo transported along the Northern Sea Route (NSR) in 2023 reached a historical maximum and amounted to 36.254 million tons.
In 2023, the record for transit traffic in the waters of the Northern Sea Route was also broken; more than 2.1 million tons of cargo were transported.
The growing importance of the NSR as an additional route and source of stability in the global logistics chain may increase significantly due to the fact that more and more of the world's largest shipping companies are avoiding the Red Sea due to the situation with Houthi missile attacks [40]
According to the Fourth IMO GHG Study 2020, sea cargo transportation is responsible for 2.9% of global emissions.[41] In the next 20 years the trading maritime volume is expected to double.[42] Marine transport produces about 1 gigaton of carbon dioxide emissions per year and has been struggling for many years to reduce its environmental impact. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has obliged sea carriers to reduce emissions by 50% by 2050.
Marine transport generates 14% of all transport emissions, and effective techniques that could replace marine engines powered by fossil fuels are not currently used, in the case of nuclear power, or still in modern era redevelopment, such as wind and solar power.[43] Due to its shorter length, navigation on the NSR contributes to reducing the carbon footprint of maritime transport, although this entails considerable risks for fragile Arctic ecosystems.
Taking care of the environmental is in focus when it comes to the development of the Northern Sea Route.
For example, Rosatom evaluates the current state of the environment in NSR waters as a part of the joint project with Lomonosov Moscow State University Marine Research Centre (MSU MRC).[44] The project involves studies that cover all components of the environment to determine the impact of maritime traffic at all ecosystem levels by means of experimental methods, special equipment, the development of digital services, and environmental practices.
One of the key priorities within project implementation is the ongoing interaction between the international expert community from international environmental research institutes and non-governmental organizations.[45]
Over the course of three years, representatives of leading scientific institutions from Norway, Finland, France, Iceland, Great Britain, China, India, Egypt, Malaysia, Turkey took part in the project.