The Federation Council of the Russian Federation says it has approved amendments into the Federal Law Concerning the Internal Sea Waters, the Territorial Sea and the Contiguous Zone of the Russian Federation to regulate the passage of foreign warships and other state ships across the waters of the Northern Sea Route (NSR).
According to the federal law, requests should be sent through diplomatic channels no later than 90 days before the expected date of passages.
The draft law includes provisions allowing for a prompt suspension of passage through the internal sea waters and the territorial sea by navigation warnings.
The document underlines that the trend towards the increase of transit cargo flow on the NSR with no efficient legal arrangements regulating navigation of foreign ships in the NSR waters does not let fully ensure safe commercial and military shipping or undertake measures aimed at the national interests of the Russian Federation in the Arctic region.