By Environment Correspondent Alister Doyle OSLO, Aug 11 (Reuters) - Russian shipping in the Arctic is benefiting from winds that are driving the oldest and thickest sea ice towards North America, further opening a remote region that is thawing amid global warming, scientists say. The thinning Russian ice could help liquefied natural gas (LNG) tankers, due to start exports … [Read more...]
Quickening Arctic Thaw Could Cost Trillions, International Study Says
By Alister Doyle, Environment Correspondent OSLO, April 25 (Reuters) - The Arctic's quickening thaw is melting the permafrost under buildings and roads from Siberia to Alaska, raising world sea levels and disrupting temperature patterns further south, an international study said on Tuesday. The frigid region's shift to warmer and wetter conditions, resulting in melting … [Read more...]
How Putin’s Pursuit of Stalin’s Arctic Dream Lost Global Appeal
By Dina Khrennikova and Elena Mazneva (Bloomberg) -- Vladimir Putin wanted to remake Josef Stalin’s quest for a greater foothold in the Arctic into a global shipping bonanza that could compete with the Suez. For now, however, Russia will have to be content to go it alone. While cargoes flowed through the Northern Sea Route in 2016 at a pace not seen since the twilight … [Read more...]
Sovcomflot’s Arctic Tankers Hit Milestone ‘One Million Tonnes’
Russian shipping company Sovcomflot (SCF) says its new arctic shuttle tankers have now transported one million tonnes of crude oil from the Yamal Peninsula to the port of Murmansk via portions of the Northern Sea Route. In total, the three SCF tankers have completed a total of 33 voyages carrying cargoes from the Novy Port oil field in the Gulf of Ob. The company said … [Read more...]
New Oil Tanker Begins Year-Round Service in Russian Arctic
The Russian shipping company Sovcomflot says its new arctic shuttle tanker Shturman Albanov has delivered its first oil cargo from the Novy Port oil field in the Gulf of Ob to the port of Murmansk, Russia. The cargo, comprising 34,000 tonnes of crude oil, was successfully loaded at the Arctic Gate terminal, near Cape Kamenny in the Gulf of Ob, on September 12, … [Read more...]
China Wants Ships to Use Faster Arctic Route Opened by Global Warming
BEIJING, April 20 (Reuters) - China will encourage ships flying its flag to take the Northwest Passage via the Arctic Ocean, a route opened up by global warming, to cut travel times between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, a state-run newspaper said on Wednesday. China is increasingly active in the polar region, becoming one of the biggest mining investors in Greenland and … [Read more...]
New Report Calls on Canada to Address Shipping-Related Challenges in the Arctic
A new report from The Pew Charitable Trusts says that more oversight and planning is needed to address the steady increase in ship traffic through the Canadian Arctic, including a proposal to the Canadian government to develop new shipping corridors with the aim of protecting vessel safety, ocean ecosystems, and local Inuit communities. Over … [Read more...]