The ship, Christophe de Margerie, was able to complete the Arctic section of its journey in a never before seen time of 6 and a half days. The ship, owned by Russian company Sovcomflot, voyaged from Norway to South Korea taking only 19 days. Some 30% faster than the usually used passage through the Suez Canal.
As it stands, this Russian ship is currently the first and only icebreaking LNG carrier in the world. To date it is the largest commercial ship to gain Arc7 certification, meaning it is able to travel in ice up to 2.1m thick.
At present, this particular route is closed for much of the year due to the conditions proving too harsh for ships to travel through. However, this new model of LNG tanker is able to widen this scope from just a few months, to being able to transport gas all year round.
A spokesperson for Sovcomflot, Bill Spears, has said ''Before the northern sea route was only open for four months and you had to have ice-breakers - so it's a significant development''. He later added that this new ship is a very exciting prospect for the company's future.
This development has not come without its concerns from environmental campaigners however.
Over the past 30 years, Arctic sea ice has seen an overall decline. The US National Snow and Ice Data Centre (NSIDC) earlier this year released figures showing that the annual maximum extent of Arctic sea ice had hit a record low. This is for its third year in a row now.
It is due to global warming causing increased temperatures in the Arctic which has allowed for more commercial shipping to occur using its route. Just earlier this year scientist's recorded ''polar heatwaves'' in the region, believed to have heavily contributed to the shrinking of the ice-caps to this all time low.
John Maggs from the charity 'Seas at Risk,' has voiced his opinions on the new Russian tanker. He states, ''We're especially concerned that having taken advantage of the thinning of the ice, shipping operations are now expanding in that part of the world''.
Maggs also claims that "The environmental risks are enormous''. His concerns lay in the fact new voyages across this area increase the risk of accident and spillage. This is in addition to fear that some of the ships that will operate in the area may power their engines with heavier and dirtier marine fuels. This would result in accelerated melting of the Arctic ice due to an increased level of black carbon produced by the ships, greatly damaging the snow and ice.
Maggs ends his statement by saying; "You are taking industrial-sized installations and moving them through a pristine Arctic environment, so it's going to have an impact - and what are we getting in return, slightly shorter journey times? A 30% gain is not much of a gain to me."
However, with a further 15 ships planned to be erected in the near future, and experts predicting this route to be used more and more by 2020, campaigners warnings may fall on deaf ears.
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