Barents Sea

   The Barents Sea is part of the Arctic Ocean, roughly bounded by Franz Josef Land, Novaya Zemlya, Nenetsiya, Murmansk, Svalbard, and northeastern Norway. It has a surface area of 1,400,000 square kilometers. As a border zone between the Soviet Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member Norway, the sea was strategically sensitive during the Cold War. Russia’s Northern Fleet is located at the southern rim, at Polyarny. There are significant deposits of oil and natural gas under the seafloor, the largest of which is the Shtokman field in Russian waters. Boundary disputes over territorial waters and pollution from Russian naval reactors plague relations between Moscow and Oslo. The sea is an area of intense commercial fishing activity and enjoys a wide diversity of animal and plant life. On 12 August 2000, the nuclear cruise missile submarine Kursk sank with all hands lost in the Barents Sea.