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Putin signs bill re state regulatn of navigation on Arctic Route

Putin signed the federal bill On Amendments to Selected Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation on State Regulation of Commercial Navigation in the Arctic
Photo ITAR-TASS
Photo ITAR-TASS

MOSCOW, July 30 (Itar-Tass) —— Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the federal bill On Amendments to Selected Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation on State Regulation of Commercial Navigation in the Arctic Route Area adopted by the State Duma on July 3, 2012 and endorsed by the Federation Council on July 18, 2012, the Kremlin press service told Itar-Tass on Monday.

In order to ensure Russia’s national interests in the Arctic, the federal bill aims to bring the existing system of Arctic Route management in keeping with the Maritime Doctrine of the Russian Federation for the period up to 2020 endorsed by the president of the Russian Federation on July 28, 2001.

The bill defines the notion of the Arctic Route area, refines the legal status and boundaries of this transportation system of the Russian Federation, envisages establishing the Arctic Route administration in the form of a federal institution organizing vessels’ navigation in the area, and stipulating its functions, including the issuing of permissions for vessels’ navigation in the Arctic Route area.

To ensure navigation safety and preventing, reducing and keeping under control the pollution of the marine environment by ships, the federal bill sets out the rules of navigation in the Arctic Route area. The bill fixes the pay for icebreaker passage of vessels and for piloting ships through ice in the Arctic Route area in accordance with the amount of services rendered.

The federal bill aims to perfect Russian laws regulating relations regarding vessels navigation in the Arctic Route area. In this connection amendments are made to federal bill No 147 of August 17, 1995 On Natural Monopolies, to federal bill No 155 of July 31, 1998 On Internal Waterways, Territorial Sea and Adjacent Zone of the Russian Federation and to federal bill No 81 of April 30, 1999, The Code of Commercial Navigation.

The federal bill will enable establishing the unified management system in the Arctic Route area and the contemporary infrastructure ensuring safe navigation in the Arctic seas, including navigational, hydrographic and hydrometeorological support, as well as ships’ icebreaker passage and piloting through ice.