Routes and Associated Operational Infrastructure

(By A. Baskin, L. Egorov, V. Isakov, S. Samonenko, A. Shigabutdinov, V. Vasilyev, A. Buzuev, S. Frolov, A. Klein, A. Makarov, A. Yulin ; INSROP Working Paper No. 108 – 1998)

The main aim of WP1 Project is to select routes for usage while simulating commercial navigation along the NSR. The report consists of three main parts.

The first part, prepared by AARI describes how the routes were chosen. It was made on the basis of long-term experience of Arctic navigation. Variants of navigation, with modern hydrographic support and determined geographical position, which are standard or traditional were made basic. In general the NSR standard variants of navigation are determined and rather well investigated for summer period (June - October). In this connection, the analysis of routes of experimental transit passages, carried out in an early spring period, and also in a summer period, but on not traditional lines, was considered as useful for the decision.

The second part, prepared by CNIIMF describes operational infrastructure along the routes. It includes description of rules, radiocommunications, pilotage, ice convoying tactics, aids to navigation along the routes. We used most updated available information for this report.

The third part, also prepared by CNIIMF describes the routes, routine procedures of routes creation and plotting, navigational-hydrographic description of sailing conditions along the routes, contains general maps and route tables. Route tables are the main WP1 deliverables. The tables include:

• co-ordinates of routes points ;
• courses and distances between points;
• depths at the points;
• description of dangers;
• Admiralty numbers and scales of charts.

The authors would like to acknowledge very much Capt. Lawson Brigham for his detailed review and comments. It helped us to improve the report, and we attempted to fulfil all recommendations. To our great pity Dr. Baskin left us after heavy disease during the work. So we left unchanged photos in section of icebreaking pilotage, in spite of Capt. Brigham recommendations, because the photos were from Dr. Baskin’s private archive. We had also very useful advisory support from Japanese party co-ordinator, Koh Izumiyama, Ship Research Institute and are very obliged to him for support.

A. Baskin, L. Egorov, V. Isakov, S. Samonenko, A. Shigabutdinov, V. Vasilyev, A. Buzuev, S. Frolov, A. Klein, A. Makarov, A. Yulin, 1998, Routes and Associated Operational Infrastructure, INSROP.©