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The Arctic road open … even in winter

Certainly, scientific and military ships have already done so. But it was opening up to commercial shipping that seemed unrealistic a few decades ago… even in summer! The journey of Christophe de Margerie, a liquefied natural gas transporter, is seen as a marketing stunt for Russian company Sovcomflot — and at the same time, a message to the other companies which make the connection between Asia and Europe and dream of being able to save 13,000 kilometers compared to the current route through the Panama Canal.

The Christophe de Margerie —Which is named after a former CEO of the French oil company Total — has nevertheless benefited from the support of a Russian icebreaker — Russia also has an economic interest in promoting this route. And the two ships did not make the entire Russian Arctic route, but a round trip from the port of Sabetta, on the Yamal Peninsula, doomed to become a key location for the export of natural gas extracted in the Russian Arctic. Departing from Sabetta on January 5 with its load of natural gas, it reached the Chinese port of Jiangsu, from where it left on January 27, and returned to Sabetta on February 19.

There was obviously ice: the ship’s hull is equipped to navigate through such an environment. But it is an annual ice, much less thick (from 30 to 200 centimeters) than an ice which does not melt from year to year, and it is in this context that navigation in winter becomes possible. “There is no multi-annual ice cream in the region”, observes from Alaska the newspaper Barents Observer.

“Traditionally, recalls the press release from Sovcomflot, transit navigation in this segment of the Northern Sea Route ends in November and does not resume until July. “

The irony did not escape to the environmentalists: the port of Sabetta could now increase its export of natural gas, a contribution to global warming… which would not have been possible without global warming.

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