International Northern Sea Route Programme, INSROP

International Northern Sea Route Programme, INSROP – an international research program aimed at developing a comprehensive knowledge base on the ice sea routes along the Russian Arctic coast from Novaya Zemlya in the west to the Bering Sea in the east. This route, formerly known as the Northeast Passage, is now better known as the Northern Sea Route (NSR). The program was carried out in 1993–1999 within the framework of the Fridtjof Nansen Institute. The interdisciplinary program was developed to study all aspects of the increase of the potential and the international use of the NSR. The program primarily provided for the creation of a joint Norwegian-Japanese-Russian venture involving more than 450 scientists from 14 countries. In all, during this period 167 technical reports on a wide range of issues were published, including the publication of several books and other end products, including the INSROP GIS database.