A Russian natural gas tanker has completed an experimental round trip along the Northern Sea Route (NSR)— the first time the path across the Arctic has been made at this time of year. It returned to the Russian gas station at Sabetta on February 19. The voyage by the Christophe de Margerie tanker through the ice is the latest visual indicator of climate change in the cold region.
The tanker set out from a Chinese port on January 27 after delivering its cargo. It entered the Northern Sea Route, which traverses(横越) Russia's north coast. A few days later near Cape Dezhnev, it was met by the Russian nuclear icebreaker 50 Let Pobedy (50 Years of Victory). Together they completed the 2, 500-nautical-mile voyage through the ice in l I days and 10 hours.
The ship managed-to complete the first leg of the trip from Russia to China without an icebreaker. Both of the journeys broke records for winter navigation(航行) due to the changing climate in the Arctic allowing passage through thinner ice. Using the Northern Sea Route lets shippers in Russia and other countries avoid a much longer southern journey around Europe, the Middle East and all of southern Asia, saving millions of dollars.
The ships chanced upon no multi-year buildup of old ice on the route, and the deepest ice was about 5 feet thick. However, meteorologist and journalist Eric Holthaus called that a clear indicator of "a climate emergency".
Last May, Christophe de Margerie became the first large-capacity cargo ship to complete an eastbound transit of the Northern Sea Route, two months earlier in the year than the journey traditionally made.
"As a result of the early Northern Sea Route voyage completed by Christophe de Margerie in May 2020, as well as the current NSR voyage, the navigation in the Eastern part of the Arctic was practically doubled," Eric Holthaus said. He noted that for decades the transit route along that part of the NSR had typically remained closed by ice from November until July.
