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.
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.
The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has imposed additional sanctions on 18 entities, individuals, and vessels linked to the sprawling illicit shipping network funding...
The 738-foot cargo vessel Pan Viva safely departed Dutch Harbor, Alaska, on Monday night, bound for Kalama, Washington, after narrowly avoiding a potential disaster due to severe weather in the North Pacific....
Coal exports from the Port of Baltimore have made a remarkable recovery following a complete halt in shipments earlier this year due to the collapse of the Francis Scott Key...
18 hours ago
Total Views: 1611
Why Join the gCaptain Club?
Access exclusive insights, engage in vibrant discussions, and gain perspectives from our CEO.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.