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Page added on August 18, 2012

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Chinese vessel traverses Arctic Ocean for first time

Chinese vessel traverses Arctic Ocean for first time thumbnail

China has completed its first voyage across the Arctic Ocean to Iceland using an icebreaker. The Arctic’s ice melt which experts attribute to climate change is opening new trade routes and exposing mineral resources.

A Chinese vessel has voyaged from the Pacific to the Atlantic via the Arctic Ocean for the first time in the country’s history, as melting sea ice from climate change begins to open new trading routes.

The Chinese icebreaker Xuelong, or Snow Dragon, completed its journey through the Northern Sea Route this week. The ship sailed from the East Siberian Sea along Russia’s northern coastline to the Barents Sea before docking in the island nation of Iceland.

Egill Thor Nielsson, an Icelandic scientist who participated in the expedition, told the Agence France-Presse news agency on Friday that the route makes the trip to Europe form east Asia significantly shorter.


“It took almost 10 days to sail from the East Siberian Sea and through the Barents Sea, and during that time there was real pack ice for only seven days,” he said.

Expedition leader Huigen Yang, head of Polar Research Institute of China, said that the route was largely free of ice.

“To our astonishment…most part of the Northern Sea Route is open,” he told Reuters TV.

Spoils of climate change

Beijing has demonstrated growing interest in the Arctic as global warming melts the vast region’s sea ice. Oil and gas reserves could become more accessible and lucrative new trade routes between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans could open.

Ice coverage in the Arctic Ocean is on track to beat a record low set in 2007. Arctic sea ice fell to 5.09 million square kilometers (1.97 square miles) on August 13, an area smaller than Brazil.

Map of trade routes in the ArcticMelting ice in the Arctic could facilitate trade along shipping routes

The number of ships that traverse the Northern Sea Route is growing. Nielsson said just four vessels made the journey in 2010, while 34 made the trip in 2011. The Icelandic scientist expects the number to rise again this year.

The Snow Dragon is China’s sole icebreaker, which it bought from Ukraine in 1993. Beijing has commissioned a Finnish company to help it build a second, which should be completed in 2014.


5 Comments on "Chinese vessel traverses Arctic Ocean for first time"

  1. Rick on Sat, 18th Aug 2012 4:45 pm 

    And global warming is a hoax, my ass. This is just very bad news, but no surprise to me.

  2. simon on Sat, 18th Aug 2012 5:41 pm 

    As SOS would proselitize, “this is great news. It means that as the world shifts to the ice-free Arctic route to transport junk, they will use less diesel, so more diesel will be available to gas drillers for use in their fracking ops. This will bring us infinite gas and everlasting growth thereafter.” “And the Bering Sea Tropical Resorts all lit with NG, win-win people.”

  3. Arthur on Sat, 18th Aug 2012 9:08 pm 

    We in Holland are going to need a lot of Hansje Brinkers to put fingers in the dikes to stop the country from flooding.


    (scroll down half way)

    If the Northpole ice melts, so will the Greenland ice (7 meter) and Antarctica ice (100 meter).

    If I will stop posting you will know what happened.

    Melting of ice means extra global warming as the reflection of radiation of sun rays back into the universe will diminish.

  4. Arthur on Sat, 18th Aug 2012 9:10 pm 

    Tomorrow will possibly be the hottest day in the recorded history of the Netherlands.


  5. BillT on Sun, 19th Aug 2012 1:44 am 

    Arthur, if the ice on greenland goes, and it appears that t will over time, the seas will rise 20 feet or about 6 meters. That will put most coastal cities underwater, or in sever danger during storms. If the whole Antarctic ice cap were to melt, for get it. 200 feet plus of rise. That would pretty much end civilization as we know it. All ports would be gone, along with most cities, a number of countries, and a big chunk of the US including Washington DC.

    I wrote a SF novel that does just that so I had to do a lot of research. Few realize just how balanced the last thousand years have been. If that balance goes, as appears to be happening, man cannot adapt fast enough to save civilization.

    The opposite is for a new ice age and then the oceans drop 500 – 600 feet as ice covers the northern continents and all shipping ends. We are over due for an ice age. So, what will it be? Flooding or covering? ^_^