This INSROP GIS was used in conducting simulations of NSR operation, to provide comprehensive evaluation. The NSR operation simulations were carried out by a number of specialists both within and outside the INSROP community, to afford a general idea of how NSR ships should be designed and indicate the economic viability of operations. Simulations were conducted to select routes; assess the state of sea ice in each zone into which the NSR was divided and subdivided; develop a navigational support system; forecast commodities and their movement; and take into account environmental impact and legal and legislative issues. This method enabled detailed study of various operation modes and the potential profitability of operations.
In the end some 167 working papers were produced in Phases I and II (Appendix 7) and an Integration Book (WP-167), a comprehensive compilation of INSROP's research, was published in book form by a Dutch publishing company. These documents are today held at the facilities of the SOF.
In writing this book the authors hope to build a bridge linking Russia with the nations of both Europe and the Far East, and to present a picture of a future economic zone encompassing the Russian Far East and the Far East Asia that may one day compare well with the European Union. Based on the research results of INSROP and JANSROP, this volume outlines the history of the NSR, the natural conditions faced by the project, various operating technologies, and future issues.
