Record number of vessels transit Arctic

According to a report in the Barents Observer a total of 34 vessels transited the Northern Sea Route along the Russian coast of the Arctic Ocean this year. With shrinking Arctic sea ice cover, both the Northern Sea Route and the Northwest Passage through the Canadian archipelago have started to become ice free after the summer ice melt. And Russia has a fleet of nuclear powered icebreakers to escort ships around its route, and assist with navigating the route when the sea is not entirely ice free.

According to the Barents Observer, the sailing season along the Northern Sea Route lasted five months this year, from the end of June to the end of November.

The route remained open about one month longer than has become the norm, with the total of 34 vessels being a record for the number of vessels transiting the route in a single open water season, the Barents Observer said. Of those 34 vessels, 15 carried liquid cargos, three carried bulk cargo, four carried salmon under refrigeration, two carried general cargo and 10 sailed in ballast. Of particular note were the fact that a supertanker — the Vladimir Tikhonov — plied the route for the first time, and the 75,600-tons-deadweight bulk carrier Sanko Odyssey became the largest bulk carrier ever to use the route, the Barents Observer said.

According to the Voice of Russia website, developing the Northern Sea Route, the shortest marine route between Europe and the Far East, has become one of Russia’s top priorities in the far north. In September at the International Arctic Forum, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said that Russia is developing the Northern Sea Route by expanding existing ports and building new ports along the route; upgrading the transportation infrastructure in the region; and expanding the country’s icebreaker fleet.

—Alan Bailey