The Northern Sea Route. General information.

According to the Federal statute of "Internal sea waters, territorial sea and adjacent zone of the Russian Federation" of July 31, 1998, № 155-F3, the Northern Sea Route is defined as "a historically existing national unified transport route of the RF in the Arctic". Navigation via the Northern Sea Route, including the Vilkitski Strait, the Shokalski Strait, the Dmitri Laptev Strait, the Sannikov Strait is carried out in compliance with the above-mentioned Federal statute and other federal statutes, international agreements of the Russian Federation and voyage regulations via the Northern Sea Route, ratified by the government of the Russian Federation and published in "Sailing directions".

Boundaries of the Northern Sea Route are determined by the working "General Rules of Navigation and Lying of Vessels at the Sea Ports of the Russian Federation Traffic regulations via the Northern Sea Route" of 1990. According to the above regulations "the Northern Sea Route is the national transport route, which runs through internal sea waters, territorial sea (territorial waters) or economic area of the Russian Federation, adjacent to the north coast of the RF, including tracks suitable for ice piloting. It (the Northern Sea Route) is limited by western entrances to New Land's channels and by the meridian northward of Cape Zhelanie, by the Bering Strait in the east, parallel to 66o of northern latitude and the meridian 168^o 58' 37'' of western longitude".

Geographic location of the Arctic Ocean basin influences greatly the temperature conditions of the area.

In July the average temperature on the Barents Sea coast is form +1^o to +7^o; in the winter from -5^o to -10^o; in the north and east the temperature is up to -20^o. Gale-force winds and 6–7 meter-high waves and are typical of the Barents Sea. 4-meter tides at Cape Nordcup and up to 7 meters tides are at the White Sea throat. The average temperature in the Kara Sea area in July is from +1^o to +6^o, in January from -20^o to -28^o. In the summer there are mainly north and north-east winds accompanied by mists. In the winter the winds are more frequent and stronger, they often turn into hurricane.