Northern Sea Route Reconnaissance Study

This book explains vessels’ ability to overcome ice on the Northern Sea Route, as well as the criteria of safe speed and maneuvering of vessels on ice. It provides a successful long-term forecast of ice navigation and reveals the dangers of sailing on the Northern Sea Route, It includes tips on how to plan and schedule voyages in the Russian Arctic. The book develops a set of suggested routes for the period of opening and closing of the transit ice-free zone through the NSR based on the last eleven navigation seasons. It presents a method for determining the date for beginning a voyage of a vessel without ice strengthening through the NSR. It also develops a model of initial (long-term) and operational decision-making support system for vessel voyage planning and scheduling. The main audience for the book are officers at operational and management level of competency, people planning voyages on the Northern Sea Route in the office of ship operator and in chartering department or consulting company, and participants of Ice Navigator IMO Model Courses at basic and advanced level of competency.

The summer of 1991 marked the first time in recent history that Russia offered to escort ships of other countries across the Northern Sea Route (NSR). For moving cargo between the North Pacific region and Northern European ports, the NSR, along Russia's northern coastline, is between 35 and 60% shorter than the traditionally used routes through the Suez and Panama Canals. In addition to its shorter distance, there already exists an extensive ports and shipping infrastructure, a current cargo base, and the potential for developing new markets in Russia and other northern areas. These incentives are attracting considerable attention from the international shipping community, including that portion servicing Alaskan and northwestern U.S. ports. This report is a general compilation of the historical usage, recent trade developments, the current regulatory climate, the physical environment, the ports and navigational infrastructure, cost factors, and practical considerations that may shape future U.S. interests in the route.

This book analyses the current and future viability of the Northern Sea Route as a stable transport route for the international transit traffic between Europe and the Far East. It includes the present conditions, defining and evaluating viability factors for using the Northern Sea Route (NSR). The book makes a projection for NSR in the future, taking into account the climatic change in the Arctic findings presented in the IPCC report. This study, based on the author’s PhD thesis, analyses meteorological, hydrologic, bathymetric and other data for the evaluation of the navigation criteria. It is intended for a wide spectrum of readers, from students and scientists of Earth sciences and polar geography, navigation, political science researchers and politicians interested in Arctic affairs.

Remote Sensing of Sea Ice in the Northern Sea Route: Studies and Applications initially provides a history of the Northern Sea Route as an important strategic transport route for supporting the northern regions of Russia and cargo transportation between Europe and the Northern Pacific Basin. The authors then describe sea ice conditions in the Eurasian Arctic Seas and, using microwave satellite data, provide a detailed analysis of difficult sea ice conditions. Remote sensing techniques and the basic principles of SAR image formation are described, as well as the major satellite radar systems used for ice studies in the Arctic. The authors take a good look at the use of sensing equipment in experiments, including the ICE WATCH project used for monitoring the Northern Sea Route. The possibilities of using SAR remote sensing for ice navigation in the Northern Sea Route is also detailed, analysing techniques of automatic image processing and interpretation. A study is provided of regional drifting ice, fast ice and river ice in the coastal areas of the Arctic Seas. The book concludes with a review of the practical experience using SAR images for supporting navigation and offshore industrial activity, based on a series of experiments conducted with the Murmansk Shipping Company on board nuclear icebreakers.

"The Nippon Foundation" -- cover.