AKADEMIK NEMCHINOV

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Research ship following path of US Coast Guard Cutter

A few days after the USCG 'Healy' entered the East Siberian Sea and sailed in proximity to Russia’s Northern Sea Route (NSR) as part of a month-long science expedition to service oceanographic equipment, the government-owned 'Akademik Nemchinov' left the port of Pevek on the shore of the East Siberian Sea on Sep 1, 2023, and headed towards the 'Healy'’s position. Experts surmised that the 'Akademik Nemchinov' was navigating into the 'Healy'’s path to keep an eye on it. As a state vessel, the 'Healy' is not subject to requiring authorisation for transit on the NSR and even the Russian requirements for commercial vessels to obtain a permit to travel along the route are not based on international law. Under international law of the UN Convention on the Law of the 'Healy' would be permitted to transit the route without prior authorization from Russia, as other state vessels have done in the past. A separate issue would be a transit using the international straits between the various islands of the East Siberian Sea and elsewhere along the NSR. Russia describes these areas as internal waters and recently passed a law against their use by military vessels. Their use by a US state ship would signify a Freedom of Navigation Operation (FONOP) as the US regularly carries out e.g. in the Taiwan Straits.