Now we move on to the main part of the episode, to our main topic.
What is the Northern Sea RouteThe Northern Sea Route is a shipping route along the Arctic coast of Russia. Its length is more than 5 thousand kilometers.
The main advantage of this route is the reduction of distance. For example, the route from St. Petersburg to Vladivostok via the Suez Canal is about 23 thousand kilometers. And via the Northern Sea Route — about 14 thousand kilometers. That is 40% shorter! Such a reduction makes it possible to significantly speed up the delivery of goods and save fuel.
Why the Northern Sea Route is so importantFor Russia, the Northern Sea Route is a vital road for supplying remote northern and Far Eastern regions. Food, fuel, medicines, and other necessary goods are delivered via the Northern Sea Route to places that cannot be reached by land.
In addition, natural resources are exported via this route: liquefied natural gas, oil, coal, non-ferrous metals. This is critically important for the country's economy.
For the international community, for other countries, the Northern Sea Route is interesting as an alternative to traditional routes. Its key advantage is safety. On the Arctic route, a ship passes through fewer countries, and the risk of pirate attacks is practically absent. Pirate attacks are attacks by sea bandits (armed people) on ships on the high seas. Pirates are criminals who capture ships, rob them, and demand ransom for the crew or cargo. In simple words: this is when bandits attack a ship at sea. They want to take money, goods, or the ship itself.
The Northern Sea Route is free from pirates!
How the route works todayToday, the route passes through the seas of the Arctic Ocean.
Navigation is possible only 2–4 months a year due to ice. The passage of ordinary ships is impossible. That is why Russia has a unique nuclear icebreaker fleet that ensures year-round navigation — and these are nuclear icebreakers.
Russia is the only country in the world that has a fleet of nuclear icebreakers. This is a unique advantage. Modern nuclear icebreakers can stay at sea for up to 7 years without reloading nuclear fuel — this allows them to operate in the harshest conditions.
The nuclear icebreaker fleet already has eight vessels. Their feature is the ability to change their draft, that is, how deep the ship's hull sits in the water. Modern ships change their draft, which allows them not only to work in the open sea, where it is very deep, but also to enter the mouths of northern rivers, where it is not so deep.
The most powerful nuclear icebreaker in the world is currently being built. It will be able to break through ice more than 4 meters thick! Can you imagine ice 4 meters thick? That's the kind of ice it will be able to break.
Prospects and interest from other countriesIn 2025, 37 million tons of cargo were transported via the Northern Sea Route. In October 2025, a ship from China passed through the Northern Sea Route to Europe for the first time. The journey took 20 days, which is one and a half times faster than via the Suez Canal.
Interest in the Northern Sea Route is being shown not only by China but also by India, as well as other countries in the Asia-Pacific region.
ConclusionToday we learned:
- That the Northern Sea Route is the shortest sea road between Europe and Asia.
- That Russia is developing this route with the help of a unique nuclear icebreaker fleet.
- That interest in the route is growing from China, India, and other countries.
Friends, now let's repeat the new words: ocean, Arctic, vessel, Northern Sea Route, icebreaker, nuclear icebreaker, fleet, navigation.