ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the present state of commercial transit shipping in the Arctic by distinguishing main trends, similitudes and particularities of the Northwest Passage and the Northern Sea Route (NSR). The number of pleasure craft and adventurers is a piece of information collected and available for Canada but not for the NSR even if pleasure crafts are known to navigate Russian waters. The Northern Sea Route refers to a long coastline segment of Russia in the Arctic region, regulated by Russian authorities. The Russian legislation defines the NSR boundaries from Novaya Zemlya in the west to the Bering Strait in the east. The term “Arctic region” is defined based on the Arctic Council’s Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme report in 1997 and the Norwegian Insurance Plan. Industry experts suggest the decline in traffic reflects the steep reduction in bunker prices.
