Danish bulker to make historic voyage
SHIPPING: A historic event is set to take place in early September, as the Danish owned bulk carrier Nordic Barent, will carry a cargo of 41-000 tons of iron ore concentrate through Arctic and Russian waters - in Europe nown as the North East Passage - to China
Behind this transit voyage is a strong Nordic-Russian partnership between Danish Nordic Bulk Carriers, Norwegian Tschudi Shipping Company and Russian Rosatomflot.
MV Nordic Barents is an ice-class 1a ship, the highest conventional ice-class, and was the only ship classification that Russian authorities would allow for the transit. Not all ships are equipped for such a route, leaving only a few select vessels capable of handling the task.
Two Russian icebreakers, operated by Rosatomflot, will escort the ship on its voyage.
"We are pleased that parties from three traditional seafaring nations made the transit possible through extraordinary commitment from all involved parties. The Northern Sea Route shortens the distance to China by about one third", says Managing director in Nordic Bulk, Christian Bonfils.
The northern sea route to China is a historic transit across the Arctic, and is shorter than traditional shipping routes generally sailing through the Suez Canal. Through the use of this waterway ships will save on time, fuel, and CO2.
"Not only does this route open up opportunities for the mining industry, but also for Nordic Bulk Carriers; we are specialized in operating ice classed bulk carriers, and when we entered into a strategic cooperation with the owners of these specialized ships we quickly saw the unique potential of the ships. We are proud to be a partner in this project which emphasises our position as leading within this segment", says Christian Bonfils.
The shipping partners estimate that the Northern Sea Route will be open for transit voyages for two to four months per year during the early autumn.
Source: Nordic Bulk Carriers / maritimedanmark.dk
