Research
Feasibility of Arctic Container Shipping
By World Cargo 26/6/09
Jun 29, 2009 - 8:37:35 AM

A report published by DNV, the Norwegian classification society, concludes that the heavy ice strengthening of hulls, upgrading of equipment and components, and requirements to minimise emissions and improve ice breaking capabilities must be implemented in order to establish regular year-round trans-Arctic operation of container ships.

Climate change, which is causing summer ice to lessen and possibly not occur in the future, has initiated the new focus on the alternative route. The North East Passage north of Russia is most promising, while shipping north of Canada is more complicated since the remaining ice is drifting westward towards Canada.

The DNV feasibility study concludes that no year-round regular container shipping trades crossing the Arctic area are foreseen within the coming decades, even if the trans-Arctic route will significantly reduce the sailing distance between some of the world’s major markets.

Morten Mejlænder-Larsen, DNV’s programme director for Arctic shipping, says: “Future ice conditions in the Arctic until 2050 have been estimated by using the same climate models as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The predictions show a continuous decrease in ice extent, concentration and thickness. However, even in 2050, the ice conditions will remain heavy during winter and spring.”

Container operations today are based on JIT delivery, which is difficult to achieve in changing ice conditions. A focus on fuel consumption and more flexible ways of operating container vessels may change this in the future. An extended focus on temporary trading during the summer months is also expected.

Maritimt Forum recently conducted a conference on Arctic Shipping in Bodø, Norway and plans to conduct a similar conference in Brüssels. The conference is scheduled for the end of November/beginning of December this year. 

Source: Ocnus.net 2009