Moscow – A Russian oil tank has completed an experimental round trip along the North Sea Route – the first time the Arctic route has been forged at this time of year. Christophe de Margerie’s journey through the ice is the last visual indicator of climate change in the delicate region.
The tanker, run by shipping company Sovcomflot, returned to Russia’s Sabetta gas terminal on February 19, taking Russia one step closer to its year-round commercial navigation target through the warming Arctic.
The LNG (liquefied natural gas) tanker left the Chinese port of Jiangsu on January 27 after the delivery of its cargo. She entered the North Sea route, which crosses the northern coast of Russia, a few days later, near Cape Dezhnev, where she was met by the Russian nuclear icebreaker 50 Let Pobedy (50 years of victory). Together they completed the 2,500-mile voyage through the ice in 11 days and 10 hours.
The ship managed to complete the first stage of the voyage from Russia to China without an icebreaker. Both voyages broke winter sailing records due to climate change in the Arctic, allowing for thinner ice. The use of the North Sea Route allows shippers from Russia and other countries to avoid a much longer southern journey through Europe, the Middle East and all of South Asia, saving millions of dollars.
The deepest ice encountered by ships was about 5 meters thick. However, the ships did not encounter any accumulation of old ice for several years along the route, and meteorologist and journalist Eric Holthaus called this a clear indicator of a “climate emergency”.
In May last year, Christophe de Margerie became the first large-capacity cargo ship to complete an eastbound transit of the North Sea Route, two months earlier in the year than the traditional voyage.
Sovcomflot
“Following the early voyage of the North Sea Route (NSR) completed by Christophe de Margerie in May 2020, as well as the current NSR voyage, navigation in the eastern Arctic has been virtually doubled,” said Igor Tonkovidov, executive director. to the Sovcomflot. earlier this month. He noted that for decades, the transit route along that segment of the NSR has usually remained closed to ice from November to July.
“The Arctic is ours”
Novatek, the company that operates the LNG plant in Sabetta, plans to continue experimental trips east along the North Sea Route, with the next scheduled for this spring, Russian business daily Kommersant was quoted as saying.
European University of St. Petersburg
Last year, Russia transported nearly 33 million tons of cargo along the North Sea Route, including more than 18 million tons of LNG. Freight traffic along the NSR has increased almost fivefold in the last five years alone.
“The route can solve much more than that,” Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yury Trutnev said during a government meeting last week. He said that according to a decree issued by President Vladimir Putin, freight traffic along the NSR should increase to 80 million tons per year by 2024.
“One way this goal can be achieved is by extending the Arctic navigation period,” Trutnev said.
To help it achieve its lucrative Arctic ambitions, Russia has renewed its unique civilian nuclear-powered icebreaker fleet. Last year Russia revealed the new flagship of that fleet, Arktika, considered to be the largest and most powerful in the world.
OLGA MALTSEVA / AFP / Getty
“Russia’s Arctic attracts many who are interested in its resources,” St. Petersburg Governor Georgy Poltavchenko said at the launch ceremony. “But the Arctic is ours and we’ve proven it.”
By the end of 2022, Russia plans to launch two more ships in the same series.
Environmentalists have expressed concern about the growing presence of nuclear energy in the already sensitive Arctic region. affected by climate change issues.
The Arctic is estimated to have oil and gas reserves equivalent to 412 billion barrels of oil, about 22% of the world’s undiscovered oil and gas.