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World's biggest shipping firm to test Russian Arctic route
Danish shipping group A.P. Moller-Maersk said Thursday it will send a cargo vessel through the Russian Arctic for the first time as a result of melting sea ice.
[...] "I think it is important to underline that this is a one-off trial designed to explore an unknown route for container shipping and to collect scientific data—and not the launch of a new product," von Spalding said in an email to The Associated Press.
The Northern Sea Route could be a shorter route for journeys from East Asia to Europe than the Northwest Passage over Canada because it will likely be free of ice sooner due to climate change.
Experts say it could reduce the most commonly used East Asia-Europe route via the Suez Canal from 21,000 kilometers (13,000 miles) to 12,800 kilometers (8,000 miles), cutting transit time by 10-15 days.
Von Spalding said the ship will leave Russia's Pacific port city of Vladivostok around Sept. 1 with a cargo of frozen fish and sail to St. Petersburg where it will arrive by the end of the month.
-- submitted from IRC
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 24 2018, @01:23PM (2 children)
Had to look at a map to see where Vladivostok is -- turns out it's a few hundred miles west of the northern Japanese islands and not all that far north of the Koreas.
Maybe Maersk are looking ahead to the lifting of sanctions on N. Korea?
(Score: 2) by richtopia on Friday August 24 2018, @04:57PM
I suspect domestic Russian routes are more lucrative. I'm not very familiar with Russian import/export laws but I suspect there is significant motivation to trade domestically. Connecting the Russian Far East to population centers like St. Petersburg is really difficult. Over land there is the Trans-Siberian Railway which is already at capacity and a road network that doesn't compare well to other countries' interstate systems. Over sea there is the Northwest Passage or Suez route, both are significantly longer and international waters.
But don't worry, soon enough the Transpolar Sea Route will open and ships can sail over international waters across the north pole https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transpolar_Sea_Route [wikipedia.org]
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Friday August 24 2018, @05:12PM
The Northern Route is shorter, which could save lots of cash, and does not include pirates, the strait of Malacca, the Suez Canal, or insane congestion (yet) which pose significant risks to your ship.
As long as you don't let DiCaprio board your ship, and you have enough coats for your cheap crew, it's a better choice (for containers, not for chemicals/oil).