21st Century-Turning Point for the Northern Sea Route Proceedings of the Northern Sea Route User Conference, Oslo, 18-20 November1999

9780792363651

0792363655

The Northern Sea Route - the ice infested sea lanes running north of Siberia - can potentially cut sailing distances between Northwest Europe and Northeast Asia by as much as 50% compared with present routes. Further, the route passes some of the world's largest deposits of oil and gas. Several recent multimillion dollar research programmes have investigated the route's commercial, technological and commercial feasibility. The results of this research were presented to the Northern Sea Route User Conference in Oslo, November 1999. The Conference was also told about new Russian policies on the route. The research results and Russian policy statements were assessed and commented on by representatives of international shipping organisations, who also proposed the shipping industry's own view of the commercial feasibility of the NSR. The present book, derived from the Conference, discusses the question of international shipping on the NSR more comprehensively than has ever been witnessed before, not only as a matter of theoretical research but also as a practical matter, assessed in commercial, political and maritime terms. Readership: All those interested in the NSR, whether as a business opportunity or an object of research or environmental concern.