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Changes in the Arctic: Background and Issues for Congress
Commercial Sea Transportation76
Background
The search for a shorter route from the Atlantic to Asia has been the quest of maritime powers
since the Middle Ages. The melting of Arctic ice raises the possibility of saving several thousands
of miles and several days of sailing between major trading blocs.77 If the Arctic were to become a
viable shipping route, the ramifications could extend far beyond the Arctic. For example, lower
shipping costs could be advantageous for China (at least its northeast region), Japan, and South
Korea because their manufactured products exported to Europe or North America could become
less expensive relative to other emerging manufacturing centers in Southeast Asia, such as
India.78 Melting ice could potentially open up two trans-Arctic routes (see Figure 3)79
" The Northern Sea Route (NSR, a.k.a. the "Northeast Passage"), along Russia's
northern border from Murmansk to Provideniya, is about 2,600 nautical miles in
length. It was opened by the Soviet Union to domestic shipping in 1931 and to
transit by foreign vessels in 1991. This route would be applicable for trade
between northeast Asia (north of Singapore) and northern Europe. In recent
summers, less than a handful of large, non-Russian-flagged cargo ships have
transited the NSR.80 Russia reportedly seeks to reserve carriage of oil and gas
extracted along the NSR to Russian flagged ships.81
" The Northwest Passage (NWP) runs through the Canadian Arctic Islands. The
NWP actually consists of several potential routes. The southern route is through
Peel Sound in Nunavut, which has been open in recent summers and contains
mostly one-year ice. However, this route is circuitous, contains some narrow
channels, and is shallow enough to impose draft restrictions on ships. The more
northern route, through McClure Strait from Baffin Bay to the Beaufort Sea north
of Alaska, is much more direct and therefore more appealing to ocean carriers,
but more prone to ice blockage.82 The NWP is potentially applicable for trade
between northeast Asia (north of Shanghai) and the northeast of North America,
but it is less commercially viable than the NSR.83 Cargo ship transits have been
extremely rare but cruise vessel excursions and research vessels are more
common.
76 This section prepared by John Frittelli, Specialist in Transportation Policy, Resources, Science, and Industry
Division.
7 Extended daylight hours in the Arctic during the summer may also be an advantage.
78 Presentation by Stephen Carmel, Senior Vice President, Maersk Line Ltd., Halifax International Security Forum,
Arctic Security: The New Great Game? November 21, 2009, available at http://fora.tv/.
79 A third but more remote possibility is a route directly over the North Pole.
80 Northern Sea Route Information Office; http://www.arctic-lio.com/.
81 The Independent Barents Observer, "Icebreaking Tankers Have Course for Russia's New Arctic LNG Plant, And
They All Carry Foreign Flags," December 11, 2017; https://thebarentsobserver.com/en/industry-and-
energy/2017/12/icebreaking-tankers-have-course-russias-new-arctic-lng-plant-and-they.
82 This was the route pioneered by the SS Manhattan, an oil tanker modified for ice breaking in 1969 to carry Alaskan
North Slope oil to the Atlantic. This was the first commercial passage through the NWP, but the building of the
Alaskan pipeline was found to be the more economical means of transporting oil from the North Slope to the lower 48
states.
83 Although the NWP is often compared to the alternative route through the Panama Canal in terms of distance and
sailing days from Asia to the U.S. east coast, another alternative to consider is the shorter and faster transcontinental
rail route across Canada or the United States.Congressional Research Service
24
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O'Rourke, Ronald. Changes in the Arctic: Background and Issues for Congress, report, August 1, 2018; Washington D.C.. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc1248258/m1/29/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.