Abstract
In the frame of climate change, sea ice conditions are changing; the length of the navigable season, depending on the vessel ice class, has already expanded and is expected to increase further (Stephenson et al. in Clim Change 118(3–4):885–899, 2013; in Polar Geogr 37(2):111–133, 2014). This reduction in sea ice extent and volume has triggered scenarios of fast expansion of maritime trade along Arctic sea routes. The impact of climate change on melting Arctic sea ice has been widely discussed in the scientific literature, as well as in the media. The media largely reported two events that fuelled these narratives on the advent of Arctic shipping.
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Notes
- 1.
As they unloaded in Yamburg, and loaded in Arkhangelsk (DNV USA 2010). Transit shipping implies no stopover along the way.
- 2.
In 1997, the Finnish tanker Uikku had crossed the Northeast Passage. Several Soviet/Russian cargo ships had also completed the transit earlier. The media probably meant that this was the first foreign cargo transit when they reported the 2009 Beluga semi-transit, but they had forgotten about the Uikku. Source: Lawson Brigham, quoted in the New York Times, “Commercial Arctic Passage Nearing Goal”, Sept. 4, 2009; Lasserre (2010c).
- 3.
Iceland, for the purposes of this research, is not included in the extent of maritime Arctic studied here.
- 4.
In 1997, the Finnish tanker Uikku traveled the commercial route from northern Murmansk to Pevek before exiting through the Bering Strait. It took up fuel and made the journey in the opposite direction to Murmansk. The Russian authorities state that a Latvian tanker also made a full transit in 1997. See Brigham, Lawson, quoted in Revkin (2009) and Lasserre (2010c).
- 5.
Maersk announced that it is considering conducting test trips for transits along the NSR with a 3000 TEU container carrier in September 2018. “NSRA met with the representatives of Maersk company”, NSR Administration, Nov. 9, 2017, www.nsra.ru/en/glavnaya/novosti/n14.html, and Jan. 11, 2018.
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Lasserre, F. (2019). Arctic Shipping: A Contrasted Expansion of a Largely Destinational Market. In: Finger, M., Heininen, L. (eds) The GlobalArctic Handbook. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-91995-9_6
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