russia trades with China via the Arctic

CNN reported this on 14 August, citing an analysis of shipping data compiled by the Norwegian Centre for Far North Logistics (CHNL).

According to CHNL data based on vessel registration numbers, each of the eight oil tankers that sailed the entire length of the Northern Sea Route to China last year had been blacklisted by the US for transporting goods subject to sanctions.

This route is controlled by russia. It is blocked by ice for most of the year: without icebreakers, it can only be navigated for a short period in summer. However, as CNN reports, this transport corridor is seen as a new arena for great-power rivalry.

The Northern Sea Route has become a fast route for China to access fuel subject to US sanctions.

Trade between russia and China via the Northern Sea Route, against the backdrop of the war against Ukraine, strengthens Beijing’s energy security and raises concerns in the West that China’s presence in the Arctic may signal future military objectives.

The Northern Sea Route (NSR), or ‘Sevmorput’ in russian, is a 5,600 km-long shipping route running along russia’s Arctic coastline from the Kara Sea to the Bering Strait. It connects Europe and the Far East.

Energy expert Kjell Eikland, director of Eikland Energy AS, said that China was able to receive the tankers because Washington has no measures in place to enforce compliance with sanctions.

Source: LIGA.net