Short Way, High Risk
The Northern Sea Route: A Euro-Asian Shipping Lane?
Karl Magnus Eger, Arnfinn Jørgensen-Dahl
Deutsche Fassung
Abstract
For years, the northeast passage has been discussed as a new route for commercial shipping between Europe and Asia. Voyages between north European and north Pacific ports could thus become clearly shorter. However, despite the decrease in summer ice cover in the north polar sea, navigation remains difficult. In its central sector, the northern sea route, which is controlled by Russia, voyages are subject to approval, ice-breaker escorts obligatory. Together with high insurance costs, this drives up transport expenses. Despite tremendous savings in fuel and time, it depends on each individual case whether the northern route is in fact less expensive than the route through the Suez Canal.
(Osteuropa 2-3/2011, pp. 179–194)