The FT reported a boom in shipping through the Arctic
Melting ice and interruptions on routes through the Middle East increase interest in the Arctic, writes the FT. In September, 133 flights were made along the Northern Sea Route – 46% more than in August
The number of flights on the Northern Sea Route in September reached a record 133, which is 46% more than in August and more than four times higher than in 2022. This is reported by the Financial Times (FT), citing data from Lloyd’s List Intelligence.
Almost half of the flights fell on ships under the Russian flag, the newspaper notes. The Arctic route is also used by Chinese carriers who are looking for alternative routes to the European market due to disruptions in shipping in the Middle East and the Red Sea.
The growth of FT traffic is associated with the reduction of sea ice cover and risks on traditional routes. Among them is the threat from Yemeni Houthis in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait at the entrance to the Red Sea. Bridget Diacun, director of marine analytics and research at Lloyd’s List, said authorities and operators are increasingly looking for ways less prone to geopolitical upheaval.
In September, the Chinese container ship Dubai Tower made its way from Qingdao to British Felixstowe via the Arctic in 24 days. The passage through the Suez Canal or around the Cape of Good Hope would take at least 40 days. Another ship of the same company left Ningbo for Felixstowe on the Arctic route on September 27.
September is usually the busiest month for Arctic sea lanes as ice reaches a seasonal minimum, allowing ships to pass without icebreakers.
In addition to the gas carriers serving the Yamal LNG and Arctic LNG 2 projects, there were more bulk carriers on the route - vessels for the transportation of bulk cargoes, including grain and iron ore. In September, their number reached 29 against 18 in August. The number of oil tankers was also a record, according to Lloyd’s List.
Insurers and environmentalists warn that increased shipping could lead to a major accident. Opportunities for search and rescue operations and pollution disposal in the Arctic region are limited.
Some risks are associated with navigation in high latitudes. Tom Mellor, head of the UK Hydrographic Authority's technical partnership, warned that navigation equipment there may not work properly. “I wouldn’t want to get on board if there wasn’t a proper system that displayed the map correctly,” he said.
The main water route in the Arctic is the Northern Sea Route, which circles the northern part of Russia. The infrastructure operator of the Northern Sea Route is Rosatom, which is responsible for the organization of navigation and the development of the route infrastructure. The subordinate state corporation GlavSevmorput issues permits for navigation of vessels in its waters.
In August, the head of Rosatom, Alexei Likhachev, said that the state corporation issued the Chinese Sealegend Shipping permission to pass seven vessels along the Northern Sea Route. The company has scheduled eight flights between China and Europe from August to October, if ice conditions permit. According to Likhachev, the program provides for weekly departures during the navigation season.
South Korea is also interested in the Northern Sea Route. In August, Reuters reported on preparations for the first commercial flight of the PanStar Acro container ship from Busan to Europe via the Arctic with calls to Felixstowe, Rotterdam and Gdansk. The entire flight took 40-45 days. According to South Korean authorities, the Arctic route reduces travel time by about 35%.
In April, Likhachev said that Rosatom expects in 2026 to exceed the mark of 40 million tons of cargo transported along the Northern Sea Route. In the previous two years, the volume of traffic exceeded 37 million tons.
