Arctic Shipping Routes

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ARCTIC SHIPPING ROUTES
VICTOR OLERSKIY Member of the Board of Directors
at Russian Fishery LLC
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There are currently three primary Arctic shipping
routes that connect the Pacific and Atlantic
oceans. These are known as the Northwest Passage,
the Northeast Passage and the Transpolar Sea
Route. Other, less travelled Arctic sea routes
include the Northern Sea Route and the Arctic
Bridge.
Viability The viability of all Arctic sea routes
is compromised for much of the year due to the
presence of ice floes blocking all or part of
the routes. Specialised icebreaker vessels can
to some extent negate this issue, but only in
certain areas at certain times of the year. As
such, these routes can only be passed when
conditions permit. The viability var- ies
between routes and depends greatly on the time
of year. Diminishing Ice Floes As climate change
continues to melt the ice floes, the Arctic
ship- ping routes are beginning to be- come
viable for longer each year. Predictions are
that by 2060, only 85 of the current ice mass
will re- main in winter and just 40 in the
summer months. Arctic shipping is subject to the
same international regulations as all global
merchant shipping, including the requirement for
all ships with a gross tonnage of more than 300
to have GMDSS commu- nication equipment.
Victor Olerskiy
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Victor Olerskiy
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Victor Olerskiy
You can learn more about GMDSS by visiting the
blog of Victor Olerskiy.