The Northern Sea Route: Arctic Shipping
                     THE NORTHERN 
SEA ROUTE: 
Arctic Shipping
VICTOR OLERSKIY
Member of the Board of Directors at
Russian Fishery LLC
The Northern 
SArectaic  RShoipuptineg: 
The Northern Sea Route  is  the  name of  a  shipping route  through 
Arct ic  waters  that  travels  f rom the Kara  Sea to  the Ber ing Strait , 
a long Siber ia.  The ent ire  NSR l ies  in  the  exclusive  economic  zone 
(EEZ)  of  Russia  and is  currently  only  navigable  for  approximately 
two months  of  the  year.
"
The SS Vega was the first ship to ever 
navigate what is now known as the 
Northern Sea Route in the late 1870s. 
Victor Olerskiy
The SS Vega
The SS Vega was the first ship to ever nav-
igate what is now known as the Northern 
Sea Route in the late 1870s. The SS Vega 
embarked from Sweden in June 1878, 
spent almost ten months blocked in by ice 
near the Bering Strait and completed the 
journey in July 1879.
The Northern Sea Route 
Administration
Since 2013, shipping in the NSR has been 
organised by the Northern Sea Route Ad-
ministration, a Russian Federal State Insti-
tution. The Administration issues permits 
for navigation and contributes to the pro-
vision of support activities in the region.
Arctic Shipping Viability
Arctic shipping is becoming more econom-
ically viable as the sea ice melts. A Copen-
hagen Business School report from 2016 
found that Arctic shipping on a large scale 
will be commercially viable by 2040.
Victor Olerskiy
Victor Olerskiy
You can learn more about the complexities of 
Arctic maritime traffic by visiting the blog of 
Victor Olerskiy.