Northern Sea Route

[misfratz]

Looking at the Uni Bremen concentration map for July 26th, and recent days and one notices a few things.

1. A lot of ice extent is about to disappear from the Beaufort Sea.
2. The effects of the Persistent Arctic Cyclone can still be seen near the pole.
3. The existence of a stubborn tongue of ice towards Severnaya Zemlya.

On this last point, it rather reminds me of 2007, when a similar tongue of ice blocked the northern sea route.

I wonder whether a similar thing could happen this year?

A blocked Northern Sea Route would gain quite a lot of press attention with the large number of cargo ships that have used it in recent years, and are planning to do so this year. It could well overshadow a [near-]record decline in sea-ice extent/area.

[Espen]

Hi Misfratz,

Yes that area is just as stubborn as Foxe Basin (Hudson Bay), probably because of a special current element.

[Anne]

Wouldn't the Russians use some of their nuclear-powered ice-breakers to cut through, given that they are taking fees off people for granting permission to use the route?

[Neven]

I personally think the NSR will be completely open in a week or two, three at the most.

[LarsBoelen]

I think the Russians are going to miss some income this year : Stavanger - Spitsbergen - NP - Anchorage :-)

[Espen]

I hope the Norwegians will charge them, because it is not cheap letting fools thru that route!!! 

[ananthapriya]

The north sea route is not a rival to the Suez Canal, but it's a good periodic complement … and has the prospective to develop very quick.