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The Northeast Passage (NEP) has been cropping up in the international and maritime news for a while now. The theme is that NEP is the shortest route from Asian to European ports; and with Arctic ice thawing it becomes navigable all year round. However, the industry leaders rebuff to use it one by one. In addition, new US sanctions against COSCO are likely to jeopardize commercial shipping in the region even more. We have tried to figure out what are the lures and hazards of the NEP.

What is the Northeast Passage?

The NEP is an international shipping route which connects the northern Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans through the Barents, Kara, Laptev, East Siberian and the Chukchi Seas. It also encompasses the North Sea Route (NSR), the part of the Passage defined by Russian jurisdiction. The whole route is often called by the Russian name.

As for the distance, the Northeast Passage is considerably shorter than traditional route through the Suez Canal. For instance, there are 8,046 nautical miles from Shanghai to Rotterdam via NEP compared to 10 557 n.m. via the Suez Canal (24% shorter). Meanwhile, the route from Yokohama to Rotterdam is 37% shorter.

The Russian ingenious people, Pomors, have been using parts of the Passage from the 11^th century. However, the first confirmed passage of the NEP was completed by the Finnish explorer Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld only in 1878 -79.

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