The Northern Sea Route, 1996

During 1996, Russia's Northern Sea Route (NSR) continued to attract international attention. While overall tonnage carried along the NSR declined to approximately two million tonnes, more operations in the Russian maritime Arctic involved foreign flag ships. Ships of Arctic Shipping Services, a Russian-Finnish joint venture company, delivered fuel supplies to ports along the length of the Russian Arctic coast. Twenty-four polar and sub-Arctic icebreakers remained in the Russian fleet as of 1 January 1996. Notable research results of the International NSR Programme, published in 1996during year three of this international effort, provided additional insights into the potential commercial aspects of the NSR as an international waterway. Demonstration projects were also conducted in the Russian Arctic during winter 1996, using satellite radar technology for sea-ice monitoring.