The Northern Sea Route (NSR) passes through international waters and therefore is subjected to international regimes which encroach upon the regulatory sovereignty of states having stakes in the Arctic. These commitments cover freedom and safety of navigation, delimitation of exclusive economic...

Sovereign rights in Exclusive economic zones and Continental shelves are functionally limited to the economic exploitation of these zones. Moreover, in the case of disputed maritime zones these sovereign rights are neither exclusive nor necessarily constant. Nevertheless, states are still...