The Northern Sea Route, 1998

Abstract

AbstractBy any measure, 1998 was a year of conflicting domestic and international interests regarding Russia's Northern Sea Route (NSR). The European Union sponsored an international demonstration project using a Finnish tanker during an April and May voyage to the Kara Sea. Russian icebreakers escorted the tanker, which carried a cargo of gas condensate from the Ob estuary to Europe. The International NSR Programme (INSROP) continued during a fifth year of interdisciplinary research concentrating on the integration of previous results and NSR voyage simulations. Lukoil and Gazprom forged ahead with building their own tanker fleets, while advertisements appeared in the Russian press protesting the use of foreign carriers in the Russian Arctic. In November Lukoil-affiliate companies acquired more than 50% interest in Murmansk Shipping Company, making Lukoil owner of 13% of the Russian merchant marine. Difficult escort operations through heavy ice were conducted late in the year so that Pevek would be supplied with adequate fuel to survive the coming winter.