Commercial Arctic shipping through the Northeast Passage: routes, resources, governance, technology, and infrastructure

Figures & data

Figure 1. The NSR, The NEP, and Trans-Polar Route (adapted from Stephenson et al. 2013b).

Table 1. Sailing distances between Asia and Europe.

	To Rotterdam, via (in nautical miles)
From	Cape of Good Hope	Suez Canal	NEP	Difference between Suez and NEP (%)
Yokohama	14,448	11,133	7010	37
Busan	14,084	10,744	7667	29
Shanghai	13,796	10,557	8046	24
Hong Kong	13,014	9701	8594	11
Ho Chi  Minh City	12,258	8887	9428	–6

Note: Sailing distances between major East Asian ports and Rotterdam are calculated by taking the distance between Yokohama and Hamburg via the NEP and Suez Canal routes (as provided by Østreng et al 2013, p. 49) and approximating the additional distances originating before Yokohama and beyond Hamburg, using an online voyage calculator (http://sea-distances.com/). Distances assume no route diversions owing to ice conditions.

Figure 2. Map of the Russian and Norwegian Arctic coasts, showing the NSR (solid line) and its extension to the NEP (dotted line). Settlements in red have been identified by the Russian Government (FSUE 2013) as having port facilities in a state of disrepair. Planned SAR stations are also identified with a square (adapted from Stephenson et al. 2013a).

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