The Northern Sea Route as a Driver of Russia’s Arctic “Blue Economy”

This chapter tries to examine whether the “blue economy” (BE) concept became a part of Russia’s strategic planning as regards the Northern Sea Route (NSR) and whether the NSR can serve as an effective instrument for the sustainable development of Russia’s Far North. There are four specific research objectives with this analysis: First, to study the Russian legal framework and conceptual discourse on the NSR developmental strategies. Second, to explain how the implementation of the International Maritime Organization’s Polar Code can be helpful for the NSR integration into Russia’s emerging BE. Third, to explore how the NSR port infrastructure can be modernized on the BE principles. Finally, to discuss how establishing marine protected areas along the NSR can be conducive to the BE development in the Russian Far North. The authors arrive at the conclusion that Russia still lacks an integrated BE strategy on the NSR, but it has managed to develop some of its elements. There is a gradual progress in the introduction of the BE principles to Moscow’s NSR strategy planning process which can be helpful for sustainable development of the entire Russian Arctic.