ASSESSING THE APPLICABILITY OF THE BLUE ECONOMY CONCEPT  TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE NORTHERN SEA ROUTE

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Alexander A. Sergunin1, 2, 3

1St. Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, Russia, sergunin60@mail.ru, ORCID 0000-0002-4683-0611

2North-Western Institute of Management, RANEPA, St. Petersburg, Russia

3Nizhny Novgorod State University, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia

 

Abstract. The relevance of this study stems from the need to account for environmental considerations in the functioning of the Northern Sea Route (NSR) amid growing cargo traffic along this maritime corridor. The paper aims to assess the extent to which the blue economy principles have been incorporated into Russia’s current NSR development strategy. The novelty of the study lies in addressing its goal through three interrelated research objectives. First, it examines the evolution of Russian NSR policy over the past two decades, including the development of its legal and conceptual framework, from the blue economy perspective, as well as the extent to which this concept is reflected in Russia’s contemporary strategic planning. Second, it evaluates the potential for modernizing NSR infrastructure in line with the blue economy principles. Third, it analyzes how the implementation of the International Maritime Organization’s Polar Code may facilitate the integration of the NSR into the emerging blue economy of the Russian Arctic. In addition to general research methods, the study employs a gap analysis approach aimed at identifying gaps in Russian NSR-related legislation, current infrastructure modernization plans, and the Arctic shipping development strategy.  The findings indicate that, although Russia does not yet have a comprehensive NSR development strategy explicitly based on the blue economy principles, certain elements of this concept are already embedded in relevant regulatory and conceptual documents. These include measures to reduce ship-related pollution, mitigate the risks of maritime accidents and oil spills, promote the use of cleaner fuels, and modernize Arctic port infrastructure in order to reduce environmental pressures on ecosystems and local communities. The integration of blue economy principles into strategic planning would contribute to the sustainable development not only of the Northern Sea Route itself but also of the broader Russian Arctic region.

Keywords: Northern Sea Route, blue economy, sustainable development, port infrastructure, Polar Code implementation, Russian Arctic

Acknowledgements: This study was conducted within the framework of Project No. 116233367, “Development of the Northern Sea Route as part of the blue economy of the Russian Arctic”, supported by St. Petersburg State University.

For citation: Sergunin A. A. Assessing the applicability of the Blue Economy concept to the development of the Northern Sea Route. Sever i rynok: formirovanie ekonomicheskogo poryadka [The North and the Market: Forming the Economic Order], 2026, no. 2, pp. 141–152. doi:10.37614/2220-802X.2.2026.92.010.

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