News, Views, And Links -- Part IV; On Again, Off Again, Can't We Get Our Story Straight? Shipping Canadian Coal Through The Arctic

A while ago we were told it was so warm this year, the Arctic would be ice-free, allowing cargo ships to take a shorter route from South Korea to Norway, via the Arctic.

Then we heard that the Arctic had frozen over earlier this year than previously, and thus the goal of shipping over the top of the globe was less likely.

Now, The WSJ is reporting that a cargo ship has carved a path in the Arctic Sea:

A coal-laden cargo ship is on track to become the first bulk carrier to traverse the Northwest Passage through Canada's Arctic waters, blazing a trail that shippers hope will become a time-saving route in global trade.

Traveling with a Canadian Coast Guard escort, the Nordic Orion underscores Ottawa's recent efforts to bolster a thin presence in its vast Arctic territory. Experts say the country already has fallen behind Russia, which is developing a series of Arctic ports and has a fleet of ice breakers keeping open its competing Northern Sea Route.

The vessel, which left Vancouver Sept. 17 carrying 15,000 metric tons of coal, is off the coast of Greenland and is expected to dock in Pori, Finland, next week after chugging through waters once choked almost year-round with thick sea ice.

In recent years, the Arctic region has drawn interest on the international stage as global warming makes access to resource development easier and opens these trade routes to more ships, even as questions remain about the Canadian sea lane's commercial viability. 

The big story, of course, was the route through the Arctic.

But look at the cargo: coal. Whoo-ah!