Arctic Shipping

Arctic shipping and Northern Sea Route transit data and news from gCaptain. Icebreaker deployments, polar class rules, ice reports and seasonal volumes.

Monday, October 21, 2024
Nome port 2024
Ports

U.S. Arctic Presence Falters as Nome Deepwater Port Solicitation Canceled

By Malte Humpert (gCaptain) – Efforts to expand U.S. Arctic capabilities face another setback. The long-discussed expansion of the port of Nome to create the

October 21, 2024
Total Views: 2632

Thursday, October 17, 2024
sibir in ice
Shipping

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

October 17, 2024
Total Views: 49203

Wednesday, October 16, 2024
LNG carrier in dense fog
Shipping

Russia’s Shadow Fleet Stalls, Leaving 1 Million Cubic Meters of LNG Undelivered

As Russia’s attempt to establish an LNG shadow fleet enters its third month, undelivered cargos continue to stack up aboard LNG carriers and floating storage

October 16, 2024
Total Views: 20997

Monday, October 14, 2024
leader icebreaker
Shipping

Russia Allocates $1bn For Massive Nuclear Icebreaker, Paving Way For Year-Round Arctic Shipping

Russia’s draft federal budget includes substantial funding of nearly $1bn over three years to complete construction of the country’s flagship nuclear

October 14, 2024
Total Views: 5766

Friday, October 11, 2024
NSR escort July 2024
Shipping

Arctic Shipping Boom Continues as China and Russia Push Cargo Volume To New Heights

By Malte Humpert (gCaptain) – Arctic shipping continues to have a breakout year setting new records for transit traffic and container ship voyages. As of

October 11, 2024
Total Views: 5294

Saturday, October 5, 2024
Ocean 28
Shipping

Chinese Vessels Race to Deliver Power Plant To Sanctioned Arctic LNG Project Before Winter

By Malte Humpert (gCaptain) – A small fleet of Chinese cargo has set out from shipyards near Shanghai attempting to deliver a critically-needed power plant

October 5, 2024
Total Views: 24828

Friday, October 4, 2024
NSR vessels stuck
Shipping

Early Winter Ice Halts Arctic Shipping Traffic Weeks Ahead of Schedule

By Malte Humpert (gCaptain) – The summer shipping window on Russia’s Northern Sea Route is coming to a rapid close weeks ahead of schedule. A number of

October 4, 2024
Total Views: 7717

Wednesday, October 2, 2024
The Coast Guard Cutter Healy (WAGB-20), a polar-class ice breaker, transits Southeast Alaskan waters Nov. 24, 2018. U.S. Coast Guard Photo
Defense

USCG Icebreaker ‘Healy’ Rushes Back to Arctic to Counter Growing Chinese and Russian Influence

By Malte Humpert (gCaptain) – Two and a half months after suffering from an engine room fire, the U.S. Coast Guard icebreaker Healy is back in action. The

October 2, 2024
Total Views: 10952

China Coast Guard sailors line up on the back deck of a cutter as it enters the Arctic. Chiense CG Photo
Defense

China Coast Guard Sails Into Arctic Waters

China’s Coast Guard, which gained international attention last month during a 60 Minutes feature showcasing its harassment of Philippine ships, has made

October 2, 2024
Total Views: 2129

Monday, September 30, 2024
newnew panda 2020
Shipping

China Doubles Down on Arctic Container Shipping Dispatching Second Panamax

(gCaptain) – A week after a Panamax container ship became the first vessel of its size to successfully transit the Arctic, another Chinese shipping operator

September 30, 2024
Total Views: 4146

Thursday, September 26, 2024
Lomonosov Prospect northern sea route
Shipping

Russia Ramps Up Arctic Oil Shipping to a New Record

By Julian Lee (Bloomberg) — Russia has already dispatched a record amount of oil through its section of the Arctic Circle this year, expediting cargo

September 26, 2024
Total Views: 1873

Wednesday, September 25, 2024
Flying Fish 1 loaded
Shipping

First Panamax Containership Sprints Across Arctic Reaching China In Just Three Weeks

(gCaptain) – The first Arctic transit of a large container ship has gone off without a hitch. The 294 meter-long Panamax vessel Flying Fish 1, traveled from

September 25, 2024
Total Views: 32874

Monday, September 23, 2024
Everest Energy at Koryak
Shipping

Russia’s ‘Shadow Fleet’ Offloads Sanctioned LNG at Asian Storage Barge For First Time

By Malte Humpert (gCaptain) – The next element of Russia’s emerging LNG shadow fleet has materialized over the weekend. LNG carrier Everest Energy traveled

September 23, 2024
Total Views: 12037

Nanortalik waters
Incidents

Officials Race to Contain Oil Spill Following Sinking of Passenger Vessel in Greenland

By Malte Humpert (gCaptain) – Emergency personnel in Greenland near the southern community of Nanortalik worked over the weekend to contain a 20,000 liters

September 23, 2024
Total Views: 2756

Thursday, September 19, 2024
Second ‘Shadow Fleet’ LNG Carrier Navigates Arctic’s Harsh Ice Conditions
Shipping

Second ‘Shadow Fleet’ LNG Carrier Navigates Arctic’s Harsh Ice Conditions

By Malte Humpert (gCaptain) – Undeterred by tough sea ice conditions in the East Siberian and Chukchi Sea, Russia has dispatched a conventional LNG carrier

September 19, 2024
Total Views: 1053

Monday, September 16, 2024
LNG carrier in dense fog
Shipping

Russia’s LNG ‘Shadow Fleet’ Without Deliveries Six Weeks After First Loading

By Malte Humpert (gCaptain) – Russia’s nascent LNG shadow fleet remains in a state of disarray with no completed deliveries more than six weeks after LNGC

September 16, 2024
Total Views: 25476

Thursday, September 12, 2024
Flying Fish 1, named Oakland at the time, outside Western Scheldt, Netherlands in February 2023. Photo courtesy of Peter Faas
Shipping

Historic First: Two Chinese Container Ships Cross Paths in Arctic Waters

By Malte Humpert (gCaptain) In a further sign of the dramatic climatic changes occurring in the Arctic, two major container ships for the first time passed

September 12, 2024
Total Views: 7630

Tuesday, September 10, 2024
Pskov receiving LNG
Shipping

Russia’s Gazprom Sends Baltic LNG Through Arctic Avoiding Africa Detour

By Malte Humpert (gCaptain) – Arctic shipping lanes continue to heat up as an alternative to established trade routes. Russian gas major Gazprom is the

September 10, 2024
Total Views: 3158

Monday, September 9, 2024
Everest Energy Arctic LNG 2
Shipping

In Desperate Move Russia Sends First-Ever Conventional LNG Carrier Through Arctic

By Malte Humpert (gCaptain) – In a risky move aimed at overcoming Western sanctions Russian LNG producer Novatek dispatched the non-ice class LNG carrier

September 9, 2024
Total Views: 88661

Thursday, September 5, 2024
Arctic LNG 2 employee overlooking the Belokamenka construction yard. (Source: Novatek)
Shipping

Breaking: U.S. Sanctions Additional LNG Carriers In Effort to Deep Freeze Russia’s Arctic LNG 2

By Malte Humpert (gCaptain) – Just days after sanctioning seven LNG carriers associated with Russia’s flagship liquefied gas project, Arctic LNG 2, the

September 5, 2024
Total Views: 2982