A new northern commercial shipping route is now accessible because of climate change,.
A ship - named Venta - is now preparing to leave Vladivostok to reach St. Petersburg by travelling north, and will reach its destination by the end of September.
A cargo of frozen fish is on board the 200 meter long boat, which can carry some 3,600 containers. Owned by Maersk, the boat is not the largest container ship in the world - it is a mid-size freighter - but the Danish ship owner wants to take the lead against its competitors, such as the Chinese company Cosco and the Japanese-owned MOL, who are also in the race for the new route.
For trade between Europe and Asia, the northern route is a potential rival to the longer southern route, which passes through the Suez Canal. This summer, the temperatures were particularly high in the Arctic Circle, exceeding 30 °C in areas.
The Venta Maersk that will lead the way this week is part of a new generation of ice-class container ships that can navigate frozen seas through up to one metre of ice.
“It is important to underline that this is a trial designed to explore an unknown route for container shipping and to collect scientific data,” a spokesperson for Maersk said. “Currently, we do not see the Northern Sea Route as an alternative to our usual routes….Today, the passage is only feasible for around three months a year which may change with time. Furthermore, we also must consider that ice-classed vessels are required to make the passage, which means an additional investment.”
Source :
http://maltawinds.com/2018/08/21/in-an-industry-first-maersk-container-ship-embarks-on-historic-arctic-route/
http://fortune.com/2018/08/21/maersk-northern-sea-route/
https://www.independent.co.uk/environment/maersk-ship-arctic-route-launch-global-warming-climate-change-a8500966.html
https://www.independent.ie/business/world/global-warming-lets-first-container-ship-cross-russias-arctic-37239088.html
https://www.ft.com/content/fb38b6ac-a484-11e8-8ecf-a7ae1beff35b
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