Arctic Routes Research Articles

Investigating the effect of Arctic sea routes on the global maritime container transport system via a generalized Nash equilibrium model

This paper proposes a generalized Nash equilibrium model to investigate if Arctic routes can be used as a “relief valve” for current intercontinental sea routes. This model is presented as a Stacke...

Analysis of China’s Arctic Route Development associated with the Belt and Road initiative

Analysis of China’s Arctic Route Development associated with the Belt and Road initiative

Responsibilities and Liabilities for Commercial Activity in the Artic: Introduction

In recent years, there has been much focus on the Arctic. Thus, as the climate in the Arctic gets milder, new business opportunities arise. This is true both with regard to onshore and offshore activities. To oil companies, the prospect of being able to exploit the presumed large reserves of oil in the Arctic Ocean gives rise to consideration. Also, onshore mining has attracted interest. In Greenland, this includes mining of rare earth minerals, some of which can only be extracted by producing uranium as a by-product. Both offshore and onshore business activities will generate a number of related activities in support of the main activities. So will the general interest of the maritime transport sector in taking advantage of the shorter, arctic routes from Europe to Asia. Also tourism has the potential of becoming a prospering industry in the Arctic. Accordingly, also at a more general level, demands for goods, services and labour in the region must be expected to rise. Overall, climate change has given rise to an expectation of an increasing level of activity by private enterprises in the Arctic. However, with an increased level of activity also comes an increased level of risk that something will go wrong. For different reasons the realization of such risks in the Arctic may cause much greater damage than the realization of similar risks elsewhere. Thus, in many Arctic areas the economic survival of small local communities is dependent on the success of investment projects creating jobs and wealth for the inhabitants. If investments go wrong and turn out as failures, this may have profound negative impacts not only for the investor, but for society as a whole. Similarly, consequences of oil pollution at sea in the Arctic may well be much more far reaching than the consequences of similar accidents in other places. For example, it is a simple fact that the effects of oil pollution in the Arctic waters will last for longer than the effects of oil pollution elsewhere since the oil will not dissolve as easily in the cold Artic waters as elsewhere. In addition, large areas in the Arctic are only thinly populated and many areas are uninhabited and extremely difficult to get to. Thus, preventing, limiting and cleaning up after this type of incident poses special challenges. Given the magnitude and potential impacts of the realization of risks related to carrying out activities in the Arctic, the theme of ‘responsibility and liability’ calls for attention. The aim of this book is to explore these responsibility and liability issues.

Complex Network Modeling and Evolutionary Game Simulation of the Arctic Environmental Emergency Response and Governance

Climate change provides opportunities in the surrounding areas of North Pole to commercial shipping activities, but which also poses risks to ship strikes, oil spills, chronic marine environmental pollution, etc. However, the public product supply of Arctic environmental emergency response and governance is seriously insufficient. As such, a collective and effective system should be established to protect the Arctic environment. In the present paper, a complex network model of Arctic environmental emergency response and governance system is developed. The strategy of each country in the complex network is demonstrated by evolutionary game simulations of this system model. Computational results indicate that the benefit of environmental emergency response and governance affects the cooperation strategy of each country. Moreover, Long-term benefit and return intensity are the key parameters of environmental emergency response and governance benefit. These findings extend theoretical research in the sustainable development Arctic routes and provide reference for the participation of other countries beyond the Arctic Council.

Selection of cooling fluid for an organic Rankine cycle unit recovering heat on a container ship sailing in the Arctic region

As Arctic sea ice coverage declines it is expected that marine traffic could increase in this northern region due to shorter routes. Navigating in the Arctic offers opportunities and challenges for waste heat recovery systems (WHRS). Lower temperatures require larger heating power on board, hence a larger demand for waste heat usage, to cover services and maintaining on board spaces temperatures. However, a lower heat rejection temperature increases the WHRS thermal efficiency. The air temperature for the Arctic route selected is colder than that of the seawater, opening the opportunity of having air as coolant. This paper explores the use of two different coolants, air and seawater, for an organic Rankine cycle (ORC) unit using the available waste heat in the scavenge air system of a container ship navigating in Arctic Circle. Using a two-step single objective optimisation process, detailed models of air and seawater heat exchangers are evaluated as the WHRS condensers. The results suggest that an ORC unit using R1233zd(E) as its working fluid coupled with seawater as its coolant is the preferable option to reduce CO2 emissions. Using the ambient air as the coolant while a less effective option could be cheaper to install.

Abandoned Refugee Vehicles “In the Middle of Nowhere”

Vehicles abandoned by multinational refugees during the winter 2015–2016 in northern Finnish Lapland’s border checkpoints represent an offshoot of the ongoing global refugee crisis on the so-called “Arctic Route” to Europe via Russia. In the summer 2016 this material reminder of refugee mobility vanished almost totally, as the vehicles were auctioned in a show for promoting Lapland tourism. This photo-essay highlights and discusses some of the manifold aspects connected to this flow of refugees, including, for instance, the ethical concerns of trivializing refugee issues intertwined with a host of global larger-scale matters, or using their material heritage for stimulating recreational mobility in these marginalized northern regions.

Арктические морские коммуникации в системе развития регионального хозяйства Ямала: обоснование рациональной арктической системы транспортировки природного газа

Арктические морские коммуникации в системе развития регионального хозяйства Ямала: обоснование рациональной арктической системы транспортировки природного газа

쿼드트리 분할영상의 국부이진화를 통한 팩아이스 집적도 측정 알고리즘

Recently, many research works on the icebreaking vessels have been published as the possibility of passing Arctic routes has been increasing. The model ship test on the pack ice model in the ice basin is actively carried out as a way to investigate the performance of icebreaking vessels. In this test, the concentration of pack ice is important since it directly affects the performance. However, it is difficult to measure the concentration because not only the pack ice has uneven shape but also it keeps floating around in the basin. In this paper, an algorithm to identify the concentration of pack ice is introduced. From a digital image of pack ice obtained in the ice basin, the goal is to measure the area of pack ice using an image processing technique. Instead of the general global binarization that yields numerical errors in this problem, a local binarization technique, coupled with image subdivision based on the quadtree structure, is developed. The concentration results obtained by the developed algorithm are compared with the manually measured data to prove its accuracy.

The Influence of model fidelity and uncertainties in the conceptual design of Arctic maritime transport systems

ABSTRACTThis paper helps the designer of an arctic maritime transport system (AMTS) to determine an appropriate level of model fidelity with regards to the estimation of transport capacity and ice loading, as well as to understand and manage related design uncertainties. The study is centred around two case studies: 1. The design of an AMTS for independent operation along an arctic route, 2. The design of an AMTS for icebreaker assisted operation along a Baltic route. The outcome of the study indicate that the required model fidelity and the related model uncertainties are case specific. In comparison with the Baltic case, the arctic case required a higher level of model fidelity, and demonstrated a higher sensitivity to uncertainties. In both cases, it proved feasible to mitigate uncertainty with regards to the estimated transport capacity either by increasing the payload capacity of the fleet, or by increasing ship speed.

Research on Navigation Safety Evolution of Arctic Route Based on Entropy Theory

In recent years, with global warming, the development and utilization of the Arctic route has become possible. At present, the Arctic route navigation safety environment is the main factor that affects the passage of the Arctic route, so this paper mainly analyzes the development of the navigation safety environment of the Arctic route. First of all, using the fuzzy analytic hierarchy process to analyze the influence factors of the navigation safety of the Arctic route, the structure diagram of the navigation safety system of the Arctic route is divided. Secondly, according to the characteristics of navigation safety system of the Arctic route, entropy theory and fuzzy analytic hierarchy process are used to calculate the entropy values of navigation safety of Arctic routes, and the evolvement trend of navigation safety of Arctic routes is obtained. Finally, through the analysis of the trend of the Arctic route navigation security, some management countermeasures are put forward for the navigation safety of the Arctic route. The research results can provide reference for the development and utilization of the Arctic route.

Asylum Seekers and Security at the Northern Finnish-Russian Border: Analysing ‘Arctic Route Episode’ of 2015-2016

Europe experienced an unprecedented peak in asylum seekers in 2015. Over a million asylum seekers entered the European Union across the Mediterranean Sea and travelled by all means of transport, including by foot, from South to Central and Northern parts of the EU. This “migration crisis” became to define much of the political-territorial atmosphere in the continent with severe impacts on the European security but, significantly, also to the way countries communicated migration related threat images into desires for re-bordering. Towards the end of 2015 and early 2016, a bit strange episode happened up in the North, when asylum seekers travelled to Northern Norway and Finland through Russian Federation. Despite locating very far from the Mediterranean and Balkan routes to Europe, the Russian North appeared to become part of so-called Arctic route to the Schengen area with over 7000 African, Middle-Eastern and Asian asylum seekers. Due to the history of very strict border management and control, very few illegal border crossings and extremely distant location, the “Arctic route episode” to Norway and Finland became matters of security in many ways. After describing the overall character of this “Arctic route episode”, we will analyse different perspectives to migration related security. A particular attention will be paid to Finland, Finnish border management and foreign citizens who applied for asylum at one of the “Eastern” border crossing points (Salla or Raja-Jooseppi) in Northern Finland. The Finnish-Russian case illustrates well the networked - but still rather specific - migratory processes in Europe. The public discussion on the episode expresses well many of the international political fears and threats migration poses for those who actually are on the move.

Правовой режим Берингова пролива и безопасность мореплавания

Objective: to establish the legal regime and security of navigation in the Bering Strait. Methods: formal logical method, systemic method, comparative legal method, statistical method. Results: in the recent years, specialized publications contain numerous publications on the problems of development of Arctic shipping and the future intensification of the use of the Northern Sea Route. Whatever Arctic routes may be chosen by the skippers, the vessels will have to overcome the narrowness of the Bering Strait. If the existing estimates are reasonable, and the navigation of the North-West Sea Passage will increase, it is appropriate to ask whether the legal regime and security means are adapted to the possible increase of commercial shipping and military navigation. In this respect, the author formulates the legal measures aimed at ensuring security in the Bering Strait area with the account of growing cargo traffic. Scientific novelty: for the first time the article proves the necessity to include into the Bering Strait area the territories, bounded from the north by the east and west passages formed by the Diomede Islands and continental coasts of the Russian Federation and the United States and from the south – by the passages between the Cape of Chukotka and Cape Sevuokuk of St. Lawrence Island, Cape Sivuka and the mainland of Alaska, in order to protect the sea natural landscape and to ensure the maritime safety. The opinion is substantiated about the necessity to equip the marine passages, forming the waters of the Bering Strait, with a security system. The proposed legal regime of ensuring the safety of navigation in the Bering Strait, which includes the common navigation rules, establishing the areas of the vessel traffic separation, designation of areas of marine reserves and organizational-legal means for damping the dangerous situations. Practical significance: the findings and conclusions of the article can be used in scientific, educational and law enforcement practice in the consideration of the issue of the legal regime of the Bering Strait and the safety of navigation.

Comments on “Case studies of shipping along Arctic routes. Analysis and profitability perspectives for the container sector” [Transp. Res. Part A: Policy Pract. 66 (2014) 144–161

This paper points out an important factor that was neglected by “Case studies of shipping along Arctic routes. Analysis and profitability perspectives for the container sector,” when analysing the operating economy of Arctic routes. Further, this paper explains the idea that cargo has a time value. Arctic routes are likely to bring greater commercial value than the Suez, if cargo time value were to be considered.

Asylstrømmen fra Russland til Norge i 2015: Bevisst russisk politikk?

In the autumn of 2015, 5500 migrants traveling through Russia along the “Arctic route” applied for political asylum in Norway. Some observers claimed that Russia deliberately channeled migrants towards the north with the purpose of destabilizing Norway and that Russia had changed procedures in their border zone to facilitate the wave of migrants. In this article we briefly discuss the hybrid warfare theory and assess alternative explanations that might account for the sudden increase in migrants. Detailing formal and informal practices in the Norwegian-Russian border regime we argue that Russian practices were not altered in any significant way in 2015, but that the Norwegian side had an incorrect impression of the Russian border regime being more restrictive than it really was. Finland was in a similar situation. The most convincing explanation for the wave of asylum-seekers is the self-interest of migrants who found a cheaper and less risky route. Both in Norway and Finland the border regimes were tightened as a consequence of the increased migration, however. As a result, their policies became more aligned with Russian priorities. Published: June 2016 Citation: Arild Moe & Lars Rowe (2016) «Asylstrømmen fra Russland til Norge i 2015: Bevisst russisk politikk?». Nordisk Østforum 30 [2] 80–97. http://dx.doi.org/10.17585/nof.v30.432

Interest of Asian shipping companies in navigating the Arctic

Climate change in the Arctic is leading to the fast recession of sea ice in the summer. This evolution leads several observers, scientists, media and government officials, to consider the possibility of developing new shipping routes along Arctic routes, as these routes are much shorter between Europe and Asia. The literature displays a strong discourse about interest from Asian countries for these potential shipping routes. This paper tackles with this idea and examines to what extent Asian shipping companies, the ultimate economic agents, are really interested in Arctic shipping routes. The image the research portrayed is that only a minority of Asian shipping companies are indeed interested, and those that are interested stress the destinational dimension of Arctic shipping, not transit shipping.

Humanitarian Pluralism: The Arctic Passage in an Age of Refugees

As I write, the Syrian migrant crisis is boiling over and the Arctic Circle has become the latest precarious route desperate Syrian refugees are braving in their pursuit of security and shelter. A young Syrian woman is interviewed on the Norwegian evening news. Earlier this year other members of her family had fled to Germany. She stayed in Syria, waiting to hear from them before setting out herself. When she finally managed to get a call through to her family, they recounted the humiliating agonies they had endured on their journey through Turkey and advised her to find another route. She decided to take the new migration route to Europe, the safer and less expensive Arctic route, as far as possible from the horrors of war. She doesn't go into the details of her long journey, other than to say that she has been hungry for a couple of years, often dizzy from hunger. As she is interviewed in the polar night, she stands in front of a building decorated with Christmas lights, a Bethlehem star in each of the windows, skinny pines covered in frost in the background, snow on the ground: “I don't mind that my ears are frozen and that I can see my breath. I want to be safe and have a dignified life. Get a proper education, work, and be able to feed myself.” The camera shows other Syrian families with young children, single men and women, and girls and boys, traveling alone. Volunteers from the “Refugees Welcome to Norway” (RWTN) association distribute warm clothes, nappies, prams, toys, coffee, tea, sandwiches, and traditional Christmas cakes.

Finding potential hub locations for liner shipping

The current models for hub location problems are unable to find potential hub locations in uncharted areas that currently have no port. To explore hub locations that are not selected from the present ports, this study proposes a two-stage method to address this gap in knowledge. A concave cost multicommodity network flow model is solved in the first stage to obtain container traffic in waterways. Then, in the second stage, a hubbing probability is evaluated for each node to indicate potential hub locations. A case study including emerging Arctic routes is provided to demonstrate this method.

The Sustainable Relationship between Navigation of Arctic Passages, Arctic Resources, and the Environment

<p>The Arctic passages are economically important waterways connecting North America, Western Europe, and East Asia. Global climate change is melting the Arctic sea ice and will improve the navigability of the Arctic passages. The opening of the Arctic route will facilitate the exploration and development of Arctic resources, which can alleviate the energy crisis, but it may ignite a worldwide “Arctic resource war”. Besides, the navigation of the Arctic passages will also burden the Arctic eco-environment and trigger a wave of eco-environmental effects in the Arctic region include exacerbating environmental pollution, threatening survival of life, intensifying climate change, changing local production and lives, even worldwide. On this basis, this study uses a system dynamics analysis of positive and negative effects to review the resource and environmental effects due to opening the Arctic passages and proposes the measures to ensure the resource and environmental sustainability.</p>

Low organotin contamination of harbour sediment in Svalbard

Arctic sea routes are opening up for maritime transport due to sea ice retreat leading to increasing human activities in the Arctic and concomitant pressures on the environment. Organotin compounds are used in antifouling paints of large seagoing vessels and are known to leach into the marine environment and accumulate in sediments and biota. As organotin levels in Svalbard sediments have not been documented in peer-reviewed literature before, this study describes the levels in sediment of harbours around Svalbard (Ny-Alesund, Longyearbyen, Svea, Pyramiden and Barentsburg). Organotin levels in sediments of Svalbard harbours were low (below the detection limit up to 14 ng Sn/g dw sum-butyltin) compared to other Arctic regions with a longer history of shipping. Levels were below known no effect levels and in accordance, no imposex was found in marine whelks from Ny-Alesund harbour. Of all other analysed compounds in sediments of Kongsfjorden (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls, polybrominated diphenylethers and perfluorinated compounds) PAH levels were highest and in one sample above action levels. It is advised to continue monitoring contaminant levels, for which the current results form a good basis. If contaminant levels rise, mitigation measures can be taken in time.

Analysis of Profitability for Container Shipping on Arctic Routes by Navigation Speed and Risk of Disruption

Arctic sea routes have long been a worldwide focus because they create shorter distances between the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans and because of their role in relieving pressure on the two busiest traditional routes for maritime shipping. Models used to address the profitability of Arctic shipping have neglected the variety of navigation speeds along Arctic routes related to various ice situations in the Arctic zone. As well, risks of disruption and recovery costs are seldom taken into account in the models. To improve the accuracy of assessments, this paper analyzes disruptions and delays along Arctic container shipping routes and presents a nonlinear programming model for minimizing operation costs, including penalties for deviations in arrival time and for undelivered containers. Piecewise linear interpolation is used to transform this nonlinear problem into a mixed-integer linear programming problem. Results of a case study are discussed for validity and improvements. This study could help shipping liners design a service network of container shipping through the Arctic routes.