Russia Proposes 3 Month Notice for Military Ships Seeking Northern Sea Route Transition

Russia wants foreign military ships to request permission three months prior to their passage through the Northern Sea Route (NSR).

According to Russian state media, a governmental commission has approved the amendment to the Federal Law "On territorial waters, territorial sea and the contiguous zone of the Russian Federation” which was proposed by the Defense Ministry.

Currently, Russian navigation regulations in the Northern Sea Route only cover commercial ships, while military and other non-commercial foreign ships enjoying sovereign immunity are not covered by them.

According to Wikipedia, the Northern Sea Route (NSR) is a shipping route officially defined by Russian legislation as lying east of Novaya Zemlya and specifically running along the Russian Arctic coast from the Kara Sea, along Siberia, to the Bering Strait. The entire route lies in Arctic waters and within Russia's exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Parts are free of ice for only two months per year. The overall route on Russia's side of the Arctic between North Cape and the Bering Strait has been called the Northeast Passage, analogous to the Northwest Passage on the Canada side.