The Future History of the Arctic is NOW - 2010 will mark the breakthrough year of commercial shipping through the Arctic

Norilsk-Nickel sails to Asia via Arctic

2010-09-16

The first shipment sailed from Murmansk on Wednesday and will follow the Northern Sea Route to Shanghai.

Norilsk-Nickel combine operates the mines- and metallurgical nickel and cobber plants on the Kola Peninsula and in Norilsk in Siberia. The combine operates their own fleet of five ice-classed top modern cargo vessels.

Norilsk-Nickel’s first ever cargo to sail all the way to the markets in China via the Northern Sea Route is the vessel “Monchegorsk.” First crossing the Barents- and Kara Sea this week, the vessel will stop in Dudinka to load metal from Norilsk before it sails towards the Bering Strait and further south to Shanghai.

It is expected that “Monchegorsk” will spend 19-20 days sailing from Dudinka to Shanghai. In comparison the route from Dudinka to Shanghai on the traditional route via transshipments port in Europe and the Suez Cannel normally take 60-65 days.

Read also: Faster than expected

The cargo vessels operated by Norilsk-Nickel holds the best ice-classification with double hull and the highest security requirements.

The diesel-electrical cargo vessels like “Monchegorsk” can sail in ice without assistance from ice-breakers.

General Director of Norilsk-Nickel Vladimir Strzhalkovsky says in a press-statement that the combines shipment via the Northern Sea Route with own vessels is not only important in order to improve the transport and logistics of the combine itself, but it will also encourage Russia’s integration into the Euro-Asian transport system.

On its way back from Shanghai to Dudinka “Monchegorsk” will carry manufacturing material and consumer goods for the residents of Norilsk on the Taimyr Peninsula in Siberia.

The future history of the Arctic is now

2010-09-02

The Northern Sea Route is the new sea highway between Europe and Asia. The Barents cooperation is the driving force in developing safety monitoring and respons systems adapted to the consequences of global warming in the northern sea areas, the editor of BarentsObserver argues in this opinion.

OPINION: When the future history of the Arctic will be written, 2010 will be marked off as the breakthrough year for commercial shipping along the Northern Sea Route.

The ice is melting and the shipping is entering. The Northern Sea Route will be the new sea highway between Europe and Asia.

The first one to sail the entire Northern Sea Route, or the Northeast Passage as it was named those days, was the Finnish-Swedish explorer Adolf Erik Nordenskioeld in 1878-79. He spent 15 months on the route with his vessel “Vega”. This August, the Norwegian explorer Børge Ousland sailed the same route with his little trimaran. He spent some few weeks and reported that they hardly could see any ice.

But the strongest interest for the Northern Sea Route is no longer among Arctic explorers. The Russian and international shipping industry see the ongoing climate changes and the retreating of the summer ice-cap in the Arctic as a new opportunity. The distance from Europe to Asia is much shorter when sailing north instead of using the Suez channel or sail around Africa. Shorter sailing route save time and save fuel. In other words; save money. Also, the Arctic is free of pirates.

During the 80-ties, the Soviet Union built up a strong fleet of nuclear powered icebreakers based in Murmansk. But, the planned increase in shipping along the north coast of Siberia never took off in Soviet times. The route from Dudinka to Murmansk was the most trafficked one. In post Soviet times, private companies have entered the western part of the Northern Sea Route. So do the oil and gas industry. The first foreign flag-vessel to sail part of the Northern Sea Route was the Finnish tanker “MT Uikku” in 1998.

Then, in 2009 two German vessels were the first foreign flag ships to sail the entire Northern Sea Route. They sailed with commercial cargo from South-Korea to the outlet of the Ob River, and thereafter to Murmansk. The vessels got worldwide attention.

_______________________________________________________________

"2009 was the show-off year, 2010 is the breakthrough year and 2011 will be take-off year for commercial shipping along the Northern Sea Route."
____________________________________________________________

But, when the future history of the Arctic will be written, 2010 will be marked off as the breakthrough year for commercial shipping along the Northern Sea Route. Not because the Arctic is crowded with vessels. Not because there are big money yet. But, because there are so many different shipping interests involved and because Russia and foreign shipping companies agrees on the basic principles for using the route.

The vessel "Baltica" was the first ever high-tonnage tanker to sail with petroleum products from Europe to Asia via the north. The 100,000 tons tanker made the Northern Sea Route faster than expected. Other tankers have also sailed from Murmansk to Russia’s northeastern corner with oil-products this summer. Some Sovcomflot tankers will sail from the Varandey oil-terminal in Nenets Autonomous Area and eastbound now in September.

When the bulk-carrier “MV Nordic Barents” sails from the Northern Norwegian harbor of Kirkenes next week loaded with iron-ore concentrate, also that vessel writes itself into the history book of the new Arctic. The vessel is heading for China and will then be the first ever foreign flag vessel to sail the entire Northern Sea Route in transit without entering any Russian harbor.

The “MV Nordic Barents” voyage over the top of the world is of course happening because the shipping companies involved want to save money. That is the nature of all private shipping companies. At the same time, the voyage is a result of the good Norwegian – Russian cooperation within the Barents Region. The Barents cooperation has served as a meeting point; call it a platform, for the actors involved. Rosatomflot, the operator of Russia’s nuclear powered icebreakers, has been active in meetings organized within the project Northern Maritime Corridor. This project connects Russian and Norwegian harbor interests.

Several of the regional players in the Barents cooperation participate. Among them are the Norwegian Barents Secretariat and Troms County. Good business deals, like commercial shipping along the Northern Sea Route with foreign vessels, would be harder to agree upon without the Barents regional cooperation.

2010 has proven that the Northern Sea Route is the new sea highway between Europe and Asia. As it looks now, this year has been the kick-off of what will increase even more next year.

In 2011 there will be far more voyages along the Northern Sea Route. Rosatomflot already says there are plans to escort 6 to 8 tankers next year. Companies involved in ore and metal transport to Asia from both Northern Norway and the Kola Peninsula are surely interested in boosting the number of voyages. They call this year’s voyages “test-cases.”

BarentsObserver whishes the cooperation between international and Russian shipping companies together with Russian authorities welcome. We do however again highlight the need for developing safety navigation systems for this remote part of the world. Transport, and especially transport of petroleum products, is risky. The increased use of nuclear powered icebreakers in the Arctic is another risk factor where the consequences of a radiation accident far exceed our imagination. 

The commercial shipping industry has this year proven that the Northern Sea Route is no dream of the future. It is a reality and it can develop fast. The future history of the Arctic is now. For coastal states in the Arctic, in particular Norway and Russia, it is therefore just no time to wait with the highly needed speed in developing safety systems, joint emergency response teams and environmental monitoring. Not surprisingly, it is the Barents Cooperation that is the driving force regarding cross-border safety.

Barents Watch and Barents Rescue are two important tools. Development of common petroleum standards is another. It is for the authorities to team up with the private actors in the Arctic to develop more safety-at-sea regulations that are adapted to the consequences of global warming in the northern sea areas.      

Thomas Nilsen 
Editor
BarentsObserver.com