(2) Engines
Thanks to the development of technologies to boost the output of the main engines of ships, no major problems involving engines remain with respect to NSR shipping. However, because engine failure is a much more serious threat in Arctic seas than in traditional sea routes in open waters, special measures may be needed in terms of inspection and maintenance and in the construction of the engine itself. Also, to prevent or eliminate the emission of atmospheric pollutants from the engine, research in technology for the treatment and management of exhaust gas, such as novel types of exhaust gas denitrizers and desulfurizers, will be needed as the final regulations become clear.
(3) Outfitting and nautical instruments
Ships that navigate the NSR require several additional equipment for use in communications and reception of satellite data in the Arctic environment. The best system will depend on the NSR navigational support systems adopted in the future, which will depend in turn on the type of ship and the frequency of navigation. Preferably the systems for resisting cold and ice accretion will be designed for easy and low-cost maintenance.
(4) Software
Algorithms should be developed for optimum routing in ice-covered waters, with proper mapping of the routes on the basis of real time satellite information.
To improve safety of navigation in drift and pack ice, several outstanding technical issues will have to be resolved. These include monitoring and warning systems for ice loading and related algorithms for automatic steering systems to reduce the risk of damage.
(5) Icebreaker support
The competent authorities in Russia are currently in the process of deciding how to provide icebreaker support in the future, based on their extensive experience in navigation in the region. This support must be framed in terms of the present and future state of international shipping, and should be receptive to the wishes of the global shipping community.
In a step toward harmonization of the regulations of the classification societies regarding icebreakers and icebreaking or ice-strengthened vessels, in November 1989 the USSR and Canada signed an "Agreement Between the Government of Canada and the Government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics on Cooperation in the Arctic and the North." It is hoped that this agreement will soon bring an immediate end to the current IMO-based efforts toward harmonization, paving the way for simpler requirements for ship structure and performance and more streamlined inspection/certification procedures.
If the specifications for ships plying the NSR as requested by Russia are not consistent with those required by the IMO and the international insurance industry, the seriously handicapped NSR will never take its place as a viable shipping route. Regulations and recommendations must not ignore the need for shipping firms to be profitable and competitive in the global shipping market. Although Russia is still far removed from becoming a mature, market-oriented economy, it appears likely to revise its current regulations along the lines of the international regulations in the near future, as the global shipping community strives to harmonize the ice class rules of classification societies, including Russia's.
In the near-to-medium term, the NSR, as an international sea lane, clearly demands the renovation and introduction of a modern fleet of icebreakers, with wider hulls, greater capacity and low-cost operation and maintenance.
