The Northern Sea Route (NSR) is a Russia's primary maritime Arctic shipping lane that runs along the northern coast of Russia traversing the Barents, Kara, Laptev, East Siberian, and Chukchi seas of the Arctic Ocean and partly of the Pacific Ocean (the Bering Sea).
The modern NSR is the result of centuries-long development of northern regions of Russia. It connects European and Far Eastern ports, as well as the mouths of navigable Siberian rivers, into a single transport system. Its length from the Kara Gate to the Providence Bay is about 5,610 km, and the length of the adjacent navigable river routes is about 37,000 km. Transport convoying through ice massives is possible only with the help of icebreakers. The Northern Sea Route serves the Arctic ports and those of major Siberian rivers, thereby ensuring the import of food, fuel, and equipment, and the export of timber and minerals.
During the Great Patriotic War, the NSR was the most important transport route in the Arctic, used by warships of the Pacific Fleet to reach the Barents Sea.
The postage stamp features a compass rose; the margins of the souvenir sheet provide images of famous Russian navigators and polar explorers: S. Dezhnev, V. Bering, B. Vilkitsky, O. Schmidt, I. Papanin, and A. Chilingarov against the backdrop of a map, as well as the Taymyr and Lenin icebreakers, the Mir-1 research vessel, and animals inhabiting the northern seas.
Logo provides by Rosatom State Corporation
| Paper |
Printing method |
Format of the envelope |
| Envelope paper |
Offset |
110 × 220 mm |