ARCTIC PASSAGES: NEW TRADE ROUTES IN A CHANGING CLIMATE


The Arctic in the north has an abundance of biodiversity and natural resources. It has been in the news for its geographical importance in the recent period, and more and more countries are trying to get a share of this Arctic region. With the growing concerns of climate change the atmosphere here has also changed, the glaciers are melting which has raised the sea level by more than 3 inches in the last 25 years. This climate change is a growing concern for all but for big players or powers, this melting of ice in the Arctic region has opened a great opportunity for new possible trade routes and oil and gas fields. Which made this region worth fighting for, All the countries do want to control this region due to its increasing Importance and abundance of natural resources, therefore it is widely believed that the race to control this arctic region might end with a world war. Now, to understand more about it we need to know the event that led to the realization of a new possible trade route: the Northern Sea Route.


BLOCKAGE OF THE SUEZ CANAL

6 day-long blockage of the Suez Canal in 2021 caused by the running aground of the ‘ EVERGREEN ‘ a giant 250,000-ton container ship, led to daily damages of around US $8 billion, it also caused the delay in deliveries worldwide and also led to a massive increase in oil and liquefied natural gas. This incident highlighted the need for an alternative West-East transit trade route, which led to global attention on Russia's attempts to develop a new trade route through the Arctic Ocean popularly labeled as “The Northern Sea Route”.



ARCTIC REGION

The Arctic region lies roughly around 67 degrees north of the equator and is governed by an Arctic council . Till 1996 there was no forum or authority responsible for affairs in the Arctic. In 1989 arctic countries met for the first time at Rovaniemi, Finland to protect the arctic environment. For the next several years many reports were analysed and based on that ARCTIC ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION STRATEGY was developed which represented the cooperative measures of 8 Arctic countries: - US, RUSSIA, DENMARK, FINLAND, CANADA, SWEDEN, ICELAND, NORWAY. Later in 1996, the Ottawa Declaration it was decided to form Arctic council consisting 8 permanent members, 38 observers, 6 working groups and 6 committees of indigenous people. It handles environmental, social, cultural, and geopolitical affairs in the arctic region. After the formation of the council the boundary lines of the countries have become more clear but Russia still dominates it as it has the largest coastline. 



Russia has had a considerable presence since the Cold War days in the region because of which it has developed significant military advancement, shipping technology, and major ports. Therefore Russia promotes the northern sea routes as an alternative to traditional sea routes.


USA’s stance on the Arctic region has been less aggressive but that does not mean that Washington is not interested in the area, its military bases in Alaska and Greenland justify its seriousness on the Arctic region.


China, a non-artic region is also desperate to increase its influence in this region. In 2018 china presented itself as a “ near arctic -state” and also released an official white paper with its new Arctic policy. China has strong interest in shipping through northern sea routes.


NORTHERN SEA ROUTE

From the Arctic region mainly 3 trade routes pass by: - the Northern Sea Route, Northwest Passage, and transpolar Sea Route. Out of these three, the northern sea route is of wide importance.


The Northern Sea Route (NSR)is a shipping lane officially defined by Russian legislation, running along the Arctic coast from the Kara Sea, along Siberia to the Bering Strait. Eastern and western regions of the Arctic are connected via the Northern Sea Route sometimes known as Northeast Passage. The NSR route between Europe and Asia is 13000 km long whereas the Suez Canal route is 21000 km long, so opting for NSR will not only reduce the travel time by at least a month but also will be cost-effective the question arises of how this area which tends to be frozen for most of the year, will able to promote trade? Well, that’s certainly possible, our warming climate is melting the ice caps and has made this patch or region of ocean available for the first time in human history making it easier for us to transport the fossil fuels that caused the ice to melt in the first place. Russia now is in the middle of a massive construction drive to lay claim in this area.

 In 2017, Russian oil tankers traveled across the Arctic without needing an icebreaker.

RUSSIA

40+

ARKTIKA, 50 LET POBEDY

CANADA

15+

LOUIS S.ST-LAURENT

FINLAND

10+

MSV NORDIXCA, MSV FENNICA

UNITED STATES

5+

USCGC POLAR STAR, USCGC HEALY

SWEDEN

5+

ODEN, ATLE

CHINA

3+

XUE LONG , XUE LONG 2

NORWAY

3+

KV SVALBARD , KRONPRINS HAAKON

 

 

 

          COUNTRY                       NO. ICEBREAKERS                     NAMES OF ICEBREAKERS


Russia’s New Arctic project “ ROSNEFT” will be the biggest in global oil with about $150 billion investment it will create 1,00,000 new jobs. This trade route had increased especially during the summer months the ice capes tended to disappear altogether. By 2035 Russia aims to increase cargo flow through the area by at least 72 billion tonnes and it is already in track to hit that :

NSR is more economically profitable than the Suez Canal as it will save more fuel due to reduced distance, the shorter distance will also lead to a reduction in staff, also unlike the Suez Canal NSR does not charge payments for the passage and most of all, is that there will be no risk of pirate attack which the horn of Africa is notorious for.


WAY FORWARD

China has also been searching for a faster way to reach the European market it has also shown the greatest in NSR as it offers an effective solution to reduce its dependence on the Strait of Malacca. Therefore both Russia and China are committed to developing the NSR, There have been talks between Moscow and Beijing regarding linking Russia’s NSR with China’s Silk Route. The NSR development is part of Russia’s strategy to boost the economy by controlling significant trade routes and generating tax revenue as the NSR passes through its exclusive economic zone

 




Post a Comment

Previous Post Next Post