Chinese Vessels Without Ice Class Violate Arctic Safety Rules, Struggling Through Ice To Deliver Sanctioned Cargo

By Malte Humpert (gCaptain) –

In an attempt to deliver a power plant to a Russian Arctic LNG project before winter two Chinese heavy lift vessels are inching along through increasing sea ice on the Northern Sea Route. A recent storm in the Bering Sea delayed both vessels by several days allowing more sea ice to form in the Chukchi Sea.

The two vessels Ocean 28 and Nan Feng Zhi Xing are traveling through broken first-year ice between 10-30 cm thick. Only the latter has an ice classification. 

Russian officials closed the eastern sections of the route for vessels without ice class on Tuesday due to deteriorating ice conditions. And a nuclear icebreaker Sibir previously on station around Wrangel Island departed that day leaving Ocean 28 and Nan Feng Zhi Xing without escort. 

Ocean 28 becomes the latest example of an increasing number of vessels violating the safety of navigation rules on the route; with at least tacit approval by Russia. A number of LNG carriers and oil tankers passed through icy waters they weren’t permitted to enter this year. A clear sign that keeping the flow of oil and gas products to China open now supersedes safety considerations in Arctic shipping. 

The two Chinese heavy lift vessels have at least another two weeks to go en route to the Arctic LNG 2 project on the Gydan peninsula. Even more challenging ice conditions await in the Vilkitsky Strait around 1,500 nautical miles further west. Here sea ice has begun to choke the narrow strait with wind potentially pushing thicker multiyear ice into the shipping lane.

A third heavy lift vessel also carrying power plant modules, Hunter Star, is still in the Pacific lagging around a week behind. It will face even more sea ice when it reaches the waters around the Vilkitsky Strait in early November.

“I think it’s still possible for the Sibir to escort the three heavy cargo ships in convoy on the NSR, provided the wind doesn’t disturb the pack ice in formation too much,” confirms Hervé Baudu, Arctic shipping expert and Chief Professor of Maritime Education at the French Maritime Academy (ENSM).

However, currently Sibir is steaming at 17 knots away from the convoy heading west. Instead a Russian offshore tug, Hermes, with an icebreaking classification joined Ocean 28 overnight. Possibly a precautionary measure in case Ocean 28 runs into trouble.

Even without an ice-class Ocean 28 will be able to push thin and unconsolidated ice apart. The key challenge will be to avoid bumping into bigger floes, relatively easy to do during day time, but much more challenging at night. 

With the Polar night quickly descending at 75 degrees North, daylight hours are quickly fading. Photos taken by the crew of Sibir earlier this week showcase the conditions the two Chinese vessels are currently navigating in.

Both vessels also almost certainly do not comply with the Polar Code, the IMO’s Regulation for Ships Operating in Polar Waters. 

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