Sannikov Strait

Geographical location

The Sannikowstraße (Russian пролив Санникова ) is a 50 km wide and 100 km long sea in the area of the New Siberian Islands. It separates the Liakhov Islands in the south of the Anschuinseln in the north and connects the Laptev with the East Siberian Sea.

Is named the strait after Yakov Sannikov, a Russian explorer, who together with Matvei Gedenstrom sailed for the first time during an expedition in 1810-1812.

For the Northeast Passage, the Sannikowstraße is a key point because the shallow waters limits the maximum draft of a ship at only 11 meters. Since 2010 the polar ice melting off temporarily allowed a northern bypass which extends the depth to about 18 meters.