Sailing North December 9, 2024 In this episode, Sal Mercogliano—a maritime historian at Campbell University (@campbelledu) and former merchant mariner — discusses how amidst the widening Western sanctions Russia managed to increase Arctic transit cargo by almost 50 percent over 2023. Its main Arctic shipping lane, the Northern Sea Route, recorded 97 transits carrying close to 3m tons of cargo; both figures surpassing previous highs. Total cargo volume along the route, including transits and traffic originating in Russia, stands at around 40m tonnes in 2024.