Abstract

The Northern Sea Route (NSR) provides a faster and shorter route between Northern Europe and East Asia than the Suez Canal and Cape Routes. Its importance for international commerce is gradually growing as, due to the melting of the Arctic ice, the NSR is becoming more navigable. This development spurs more debate on the legal status of the major NSR straits. Russia claims them to be its historic internal waters where it can control navigation to the fullest possible extent, while the United States disputes this claim. This paper seeks to examine the current legal status of the NSR ...