Russia’s Arctic Shipping Route Turns Into “Dark Fleet” Corridor Used by 100 Sanctioned Vessels One third of Arctic shipping traffic along the Northern Sea Route involves sanctioned vessels of Russia’s shadow fleet, a new report warns. The figures include 38 sanctioned oil tankers, often poorly maintained and insured and frequently without ice-classification. Russian officials have also stopped publishing data about activity on the route, further reducing available information and increasing risk.
Northern Sea Route 2025 Season Concludes With Stable Transit Traffic Amid Challenging Ice Conditions The 2025 summer–autumn navigation season on Russia’s Northern Sea Route wrapped up with 103 transit voyages moving an estimated 3.2 million tons of cargo. While tanker traffic continued to dominate, bulk carriers and container ships posted notable gains, all against a backdrop of unfavorable ice conditions that limited the open-water window.
South Korea to Subsidize Construction of Ice-class Vessels and Expand Port in Support of Arctic Shipping South Korea announced substantial budget increases to support expansion of the port of Busan, readying it for future Arctic traffic and subsidizing domestic construction of ice-class ships. Capturing the promise of growing Arctic shipping traffic is part of efforts to revitalize the country’s southern industrial region.
Deepening Russia-China Relations Continue to Drive Oil, Gas, and Container Traffic Along Arctic Shipping Lane Arctic transit shipping continues to be dominated by Russian-Chinese economic ties, a new CHNL analysis shows. Though an upcoming expansion of container service will bring Western European ports into the mix.
China Launches 18-Day Arctic Express Containership Route To Europe With Stops in UK, Germany, Poland A Chinese shipping company is set to launch the first liner-type container shipping route via the Arctic. The service will begin in September connecting three ports in China to four destinations in Western Europe. The country’s Ministry of Transport has begun to release live sea ice monitoring to improve safety for Arctic shipping.
South Korea To Enter Arctic Shipping With Pilot Operations During Summer 2026 South Korea will establish a dedicated Arctic shipping division within its new government and launch pilot operations next summer. The plans follow up on statements during President Lee’s election campaign, during which he suggested using Arctic shipping to economically revive the country’s southern ports.
Russia to Earn $160bn in Taxes From Northern Sea Route by 2035, Arctic Region Accounts for 7.5 Percent of GDP New government figures highlight the critical role the Arctic plays in Russia’s economy. Projects along the main shipping corridor may generate massive tax revenues over the next decade and account for growing share of the country’s export and GDP.
US Government Investigates Strategic Importance of Northern Sea Route as Part of Study on Maritime Chokepoints The U.S. government’s Federal Maritime Commission has initiated an investigation of global maritime chokepoints. In addition to more traditional passages like the Suez Canal, it has also included the Arctic’s Northern Sea Route in the upcoming study. According to the FMC the route has the potential to reshape global trade patterns.
Charting a Greener Course: The Northeast Passage and Shipping’s Future Op-ed: Global shipping faces unprecedented challenges as reliance on established trade routes like the Suez Canal exposes vulnerabilities in current trade networks. From the infamous Ever Given blockage to the increasing political risks in the Middle East, the need for exploring alternative routes is urgent, writes researchers from Nord University in this op-ed on the Northeast passage.
China-Russia Announce Plans for Five Ice-Capable Containerships for Year Round Arctic Service Russia and China's collaboration in the Arctic continues, now with new plans to build high ice-class containerships to begin year-round shipments on the Northern Sea Route. Though the details, including the size of the vessels and who will build them, remain scarce.
LNG Carriers, Oil Tankers and Container Ships Race to Beat the Winter Ice on the Northern Sea Route With an unusually early return of winter sea ice shipping for low ice-class vessels will come to a halt on Russia’s Northern Sea Route in the coming days, at least officially. Some cargo, including strategically important modules for Arctic LNG 2 will continue to flow in violation of Russia’s own safety rules.
Record-size Container Ship Sets Course for Arctic via Norwegian Coastline A massive container ship the length of three football fields traveled up the Norwegian coastline en route to China over the weekend. It is the latest sign of increasing Arctic traffic passing through the Norwegian and Barents Seas, including sanctioned and possibly underinsured “shadow fleet” vessels.
Record Season for LNG, Crude Oil, and Container Shipping Looms in Russian Arctic Shipping activity along Russia’s Northern Sea Route looks set for a flurry of activity this summer arising from growing LNG exports, transit shipments of crude oil, and the promise of a new series of large container ships traveling between Europe and China.
Northern Sea Route Saw Seven Containership Voyages in 2023, Including Controversial Chinese Container Ship Northern Sea Route shipping activity during the summer of 2023 included the first regular container service between Asia and Europe. But the novel service did not transpire without controversy as one of the vessels, ChinasNewNew Polar Bearis suspected of damaging the Balticconnector pipeline. Results of a Finnish request for inquiry with Chinese counterparts remain pending.
China Pushes Northern Sea Route Transit Cargo to New Record Strong demand for Russian crude oil in China resulted in record transit cargo on the Northern Sea Route in 2023. More than a dozen shipments delivered 1.5m tons of crude oil from the Baltic Sea to China through the Arctic. In total the route saw 2.1m tons of transit cargo, surpassing the previous high set in 2021.
China Pushes Northern Sea Route Transit Cargo to New Record Strong demand for Russian crude oil in China resulted in record transit cargo on the Northern Sea Route in 2023. More than a dozen shipments delivered 1.5m tons of crude oil from the Baltic Sea to China through the Arctic. In total the route saw 2.1m tons of transit cargo, surpassing the previous high set in 2021.
New Lifecycle Assessment for Greenhouse Gases from LNG Spells Bad News for Emissions from Arctic Projects Liquefied natural gas may not be as clean as previously thought, a new study finds. While liquefied gas is often heralded as a less dirty alternative to coal, its lifetime emissions exceed those from coal, the new data suggest. The report gives special emphasis to methane emissions from the transport of liquefied natural gas, a finding relevant to Arctic LNG projects.
New Lifecycle Assessment for Greenhouse Gases from LNG Spells Bad News for Emissions from Arctic Projects Liquefied natural gas may not be as clean as previously thought, a new study finds. While liquefied gas is often heralded as a less dirty alternative to coal, its lifetime emissions exceed those from coal, the new data suggest. The report gives special emphasis to methane emissions from the transport of liquefied natural gas, a finding relevant to Arctic LNG projects.
India Looking To Cooperate With Russia on Development of Arctic Northern Sea Route Following an initial high-level meeting between Indian and Russian officials in India in March of this year, representatives from two countries now met in Vladivostok to further discuss a deepening of cooperation in Arctic shipping and related economic activity.
Polar Code May Need Updating as Arctic Shipping Increases New Study Concludes With more ships venturing across the Arctic, especially in marginal conditions during winter and spring, Polar Code rules may have to be expanded, a new report suggests. Shipping experts also caution that Russia may not be enforcing the existing rules as it sends a growing number of vessels through its Arctic waters.
Russia Sends Oil Tanker Without Ice Protection Through Arctic For First Time In a sign of things to come Russia has sent the first non-ice class Aframax oil tanker into the Arctic. Hampered by Western sanctions a desperate Russia has decided to forgo long standing practices regarding ice-protection in an effort to reroute ever-larger amounts of crude oil to China, experts say.
Russian Government Vessel Continues to Follow US Coast Guard Icebreaker on Northern Sea Route Russian survey vesselAkademik Nemchinovsteamed from the port of Pevek toward USCGCHealyand has been following its track for the past 48 hours. The US icebreaker continues on its science mission sailing in the East Siberian Sea.
US Coast Guard Icebreaker Sails in Proximity to Russia’s Northern Sea Route A US science mission has taken Coast Guard icebreakerHealyinto the East Siberian Sea in proximity to cargo vessels transiting Russia’s Arctic waters. Automatic Identification System data suggest the vessel has entered what Russia considers the waters of its Northern Sea Route, though experts caution that it is too early to draw conclusions.
Gazprom Sends First-Ever Shipment of Baltic LNG to China via the Arctic Natural gas company Gazprom has become Russia’s second energy corporation to send liquefied natural gas to China via the Arctic. In contrast to Novatek’s shipments, which use gas produced within the Arctic, Gazprom’s shipment comes from the Portovaya liquefaction plant in the Baltic Sea. This is the first time that a company has shipped gas from outside the Arctic along the Northern Sea Route.
World’s Largest LNG Storage Barge Approaches Bodø En Route to Russian Arctic Novatek’s long-awaited hub for liquefied natural gas is about to arrive in the Barents Sea. It is currently around 350 km to the southwest of Bodø. Meanwhile, new modules for Novatek’s Arctic LNG 2 plant are being shipped from China via the Northern Sea Route. The company has also sent its first delivery of liquefied natural gas of the year to China along the route.
Arctic Port of Tiksi Opens to Foreign Vessels To Spur Investments along NSR Russia continues to bank on the development of its Northern Sea Route for future economic prosperity. By designating Tiksi an “international port” it hopes to create a new cargo hub along the route.
MGIMO to Teach Chinese in Arkhangelsk For Development of NSR The Arctic Federal University in Arkhangelsk will introduce Chinese as a second foreign language in the student curriculum, with the help of the Moscow State Institute of International Relations.
Russia’s Northern Sea Route Sees More Traffic Despite War and Sanctions Arctic shipping along the NSR saw a moderate increase to 34m tons in 2022 even though international operators shied away from the route bringing a halt to transit traffic. With Vostok Oil under construction, volume is set to surge after 2024.
Russian Government Approves $1bn for Construction of 6th and 7th Arktika-class Nuclear Icebreakers Russia continues modernizing and expanding its fleet of powerful nuclear icebreakers in an effort to realize year-round shipping along the Northern Sea Route. With the sixth and seventh newArktika-class icebreakers Russia will operate up to a dozen nuclear icebreakers before the end of the decade.
Russian Arctic Official: “We will Take Military Measures to Prevent Threats to Navigation Along the NSR” “Russia is taking all necessary military measures to prevent threats to civilian navigation along the Northern Sea Route”, says Russias Arctic Ambassador Nikolai Korchunov.
Unique Winter Voyage Delivers Module for Arctic LNG 2 via NSR An ice-class cargo carrier escorted by two nuclear icebreakers transported a 12,000 ton module from China via the Arctic. It was the first such voyage this late in the winter – a further sign of the rapid opening of the Arctic Ocean.
Macron´s twofold Arctic policy to gain influence in the Arctic Commentary: France is drumbeating an environmental cause as part of a wider geopolitical strategy to gain more influence over Arctic decision making in the future.
The Americans are aware that the Russians have had a head start in the Arctic and that China is a joker. That may mean increased military American activity. ANALYSIS: Russia and China are the two nations that have possibly seen the highest potential in this, however, we may expect increased American focus in the time ahead.
Novatek Allowed to Operate Foreign LNG Carriers on Northern Sea Route Natural gas company Novatek was granted an exemption from a new law banning foreign-flagged oil and gas carriers from the Northern Sea Route. The ban would have been detrimental to Novatek’s $20 billion Arctic LNG 2 project.
Russia’s Northern Sea Route Sees Record Cargo Volume in 2018 Russia’s Northern Sea Route saw another record-setting year in 2018 as 18 million tons of cargo traveled along the country’s Arctic coastline. This compares to just 3.9 million tons five years ago in 2013 and also represents an 80 percent increase over 2017.
Maersk Releases Stunning Arctic Images from Northern Sea Route Voyage Danish shipping company Maersk released a series of images and videos chronicling the successful Arctic voyage of its container ship Venta Maersk, the first vessel of its kind to sail along Russia’s Northern Sea Route.
Maersk Releases Stunning Arctic Images from Northern Sea Route Voyage Danish shipping company Maersk released a series of images and videos chronicling the successful Arctic voyage of its container ship Venta Maersk, the first vessel of its kind to sail along Russia’s Northern Sea Route.
Maersk Releases Stunning Arctic Images from Northern Sea Route Voyage Danish shipping company Maersk released a series of images and videos chronicling the successful Arctic voyage of its container ship Venta Maersk, the first vessel of its kind to sail along Russia’s Northern Sea Route.
Maersk Container Ship Embarks on Historic Arctic Transit Danish company Maersk becomes latest major shipping operator to dip its toes in Arctic waters as it sends 3,600 TEU container ship along Russia’s Northern Sea Route.
Yamal LNG Carrier Boris Vilkitsky In Gross Violation of Safety Rules on NSR The LNG Carrier Boris Vilkitsky, operated by Dynagas LNG Partners, a joint venture by Dynagas, Sinotrans, and China LNG Shipping, entered Northern Sea Route last week in violation of the Rules of Navigation. Safety concerns on the route abound in the light of nearly 100 violations in 2017 alone. Will Russian authorities act to ensure safety along the route?
Shipping Traffic on Northern Sea Route Grows by 30 Percent Shipping traffic in Russia’s Arctic waters along the Northern Sea Route (NSR) continued to grow in 2016. Cargo volume on the NSR increased by 33 percent.
