Nsr Administration News

The “Nordvik”, which had been drifting in remote Arctic waters following a collision with an ice floe, is now being accompanied by icebreakers to its home port, reports the 'Barents Observer'. Citing the Russian Sea and River Transport Agency, Barents Obsever says that a total of 1800 litres of diesel oil was transferred from the “Nordvik” into the tanker “Boris Vilkitsky”. The two vessels are now accompanied by two nuclear-powered icebreakers, the “Taymyr” and the “Vaigach”, out of the Matisen strait, bound for the tankship's home port of Khatanga.

The fully loaded 6403 dwt tankship "Nordvik” hit an ice floe and started taking in water while sailing the Northern Sea Route (NSR) last week and as a result a ballast tank was holed reports the Barents Observer. The hole has been plugged with a cement box and the water ingress has stopped, reports Barents Observer citing the (Russian) Federal Agency for Sea and River Transport. The vessel is now drifting in the Matisen Strait, where the accident happened, waiting for another tanker to come and take the cargo. The ship owner Khatanga Commercial Port is negotiating with nuclear icebreaker operator Atomflot to have the tanker escorted to port in Khatanga.

The Russian government has reportedly denied permission for the Greenpeace icebreaker Arctic Sunrise to enter the increasingly busy Northern Sea Route (NSR), despite the ship having fulfilled all the requirements for such an entry. Greenpeace International beleives the decision is an attempt to prevent it from exposing the activities of Russian state-owned oil company Rosneft. Multiple vessels contracted by Rosneft and U.S. partner ExxonMobil are conducting seismic testing and geological work in the Kara Sea in preparation for offshore Arctic drilling.

From an office in downtown Moscow, 15 people will regulate traffic along Russia’s Northern Sea Route. A decree signed this week by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev marks the formal establishment of the new Northern Sea Route administration. The office, situated far from the route, is to be part of the federal Agency of Sea and River Transport, reports the Barents Observer. By mid-May, the new structure is to be fully operational. The establishment of the office comes as shipping along the Russian Arctic route is increasing quickly.

Deputy Minister of Transport Victor Olerskyz informed that the Northern Sea Route will be administrated from Moscow. The new headquarters for the Northern Sea Route (NSR) will open in Moscow on January 28 2013. A representative office may be opened in Arkhangelsk later, according to the 'Barents Observer'. The Northern Sea Route is becoming a more and more important route for transportation of cargo between Europe and Asia. 2012 was a record season both in relation to the amount of cargo and the number of vessels. 46 vessels sailed the route in 2012, compared to 34 in 2011 and only four in 2010. The total cargo transported on the NSR last year was 1 261 545 tons – a 53 percent increase from 2011, when 820 789 tons was shipped on the route.

Gazprom successfully completes world’s first LNG supply via Northern Sea Route in the 'Ob River' carrier. The carrier left the Port of Hammerfest (Norway) to arrive at the regasification terminal in the Port of Tobata (Japan) delivering a Gazprom Group-owned LNG cargo to Japanese consumers. The Ob River LNG carrier was escorted by Atomflot-owned atomic icebreakers led by two ice masters. During the first half of the voyage, between the Barents Sea and the Kara Sea, there was not much ice in the waters…