OREANDA-NEWS. February 16, 2009. A federal law on the Northern Sea Route is under elaboration by the Russian State Duma, the Russian presidential Aide on Arctic and Antarctic issues Artur Chilingarov said this week.

The new law will help regulate shipping along the route, which is believed to become a possible commercial shipping route between Europe and Asia as Arctic sea ice melts.

The new legislation will also determine the external borders of the sea route and formalize its status as a Russian national transport route in the Arctic.

Mr. Chilingarov says that the legislative document will lay down the main requirements for sailing along the route, among them environmental regulations for the ships using it. Considering the vulnerable environment in the area, the law will strictly forbid the discharge of environmentally harmful substances in the area.

A group of inspectors will be empowered with the expulsion of ships from the route, should they not be observing the regulations.

The Northern Sea Route is included as a priority both in the Russian government’s national social and economic development programme for the period until year 2020, as well as in the new Russian National Security Strategy.

The Northern Sea Route follows the Russian Arctic coasts from the Kola Peninsula to the country’s Far East. The vast majority of the route lies in Arctic waters and parts are only free of ice for two months per year. The route was used extensively in the Soviet period with the help of the fleet of nuclear-powered icebreaker, but shipping declined dramatically after the breakup of the union.