The Northern Sea Route
Russia’s Rules of Navigation and International Law
Deutsche Fassung
Abstract
The summer ice cover in the northern polar sea has receded significantly. Shipping companies are already hoping for a shorter route from Europe to Asia. But there is a dispute over the question whether international maritime law or Russian law is to be used on the northern sea route. The status of several waters and straits is open, and Russia’s use of straight baselines has met with objections. There are also competing interpretations in the question whether the exemption clauses for ice covered areas as formulated in the Convention on the Law of the Seas allow the use of national rules for shipping instead of the regulations of maritime law.
(Osteuropa 2-3/2011, pp. 101–112)