Even though the conditions for sailing on the NSR are being improved, much uncertainty remains regarding the longer term development of the sea route.

An important reason for conflicting and inconsistent policies is the large investments required to build and upgrade infrastructure for sailing along the NSR, as well as maintaining the icebreaker fleet. How shall this be financed, and what roles shall public and private actors have? To what extent should users have influence over the operation of the sea route?

FNI's part of this project seeks to answer the question of whether Russia is likely to implement a more integrated policy for development and use of the Northern Sea Route, and if policies are likely to contribute to increased use of the sea route.

Our approach is partly bottom-up, where we provide an overview of the interests, plans and perspectives of the most important Russian players and discuss the extent to which they are connected or in conflict.

Project period: 2013-2017