Arctic Could Be Pretty Much Ice-Free For Shipping By 2050; Incredible Opportunities; The Fabled Northwest Passage; The Northern Route, Now 40% Shorter Than Southern Route (Suez Canal) Would Be An Additional 20% Shorter
RedOrbit is reporting:
“We’re talking about a future in which open-water vessels will, at
least during some years, be able to navigate unescorted through the
Arctic, which at the moment is inconceivable,” said co-author Scott R.
Stephenson, a PhD candidate in the UCLA Department of Geography.
Smith and Stephenson go on to predict the Arctic ice sheet will have
thinned to such a point that icebreakers will experience little
resistance as they sail between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans directly
over the North Pole.
“Nobody’s ever talked about shipping over the top of the North Pole,” Smith said. “This is an entirely unexpected possibility.”
The ability to ship on a route passing directly over the North Pole
would shorten a ship’s journey by a full 20 percent when compared to
traveling the currently most-trafficked Arctic shipping lane, the
Northern Sea Route. This route follows closely the coast of Russia. The
Northern Sea Route is a preferred route by many shippers as it is
approximately 40 percent shorter than the southern shipping route that
travels through the Suez Canal.
The other side of the Arctic Ocean contains the fabled Northwest
Passage. This route, just to the north of the Canadian coastline, is the
most direct route from Asia to North America. Though this passage is
known for its harsh and unforgiving conditions, the team expects the
route will be navigable by Polar Class 6 vessels which have been
strengthened against ice. The situation may even be favorable for
vessels with reinforced hulls. The bulk of the world’s commercial fleet
is already built with reinforced hulls.
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