MOH decides a route of a ship traveling through the NSR, taking account of both present and foreseen ice conditions as well as the ship's draft with respect to water depth, and informs the route to the ship. MOH is a supervisory body responsible for all aspects of navigation in the NSR, with operations split between two headquarters east and west, at Pevek and Dikson. Their areas of authority are divided at longitude 125｡?. The role of MOH is described in greater detail in Section 4.3.
For all of the reasons outlined above, the NSR is distinct from other shipping routes in that the specific route cannot be fixed according to a rigid schedule. Based on a wealth of ice data compiled from long-term observations and accumulated experience of NSR operations in Russia, however, a few recommended routes have been proposed. These routes differ from summer (June to September) to winter (October to May), reflecting the wide difference in ice conditions prevailing in each season (Figures 4.2-6 and 4.2-7). In summer, the route avoids areas of ice massifs and follows a path through regions of little or no ice.
