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BenB

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Re: Northern Sea Route thread
« Reply #200 on: March 01, 2018, 09:33:58 AM »
Teekay have a timelapse of the first part of the Eduar Toll's voyage through the Arctic on their website:

http://teekay.com/blog/2018/02/09/timelapse-eduard-toll-transiting-northern-sea-route/

Sleepy

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Re: Northern Sea Route thread
« Reply #201 on: March 20, 2018, 07:28:58 AM »
China building Arctic cruise ship for 'Polar Silk Road'
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-arctic/china-building-arctic-cruise-ship-for-polar-silk-road-idUSKCN1GT08N
Quote
China has begun building its first polar expedition cruise ship, state news agency Xinhua reported Saturday, as the country looks to shipping lanes opened up by global warming to extend President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road initiative to the Arctic.

Construction of the 104.4-meter vessel, equipped with an advanced electric propulsion and control system for navigating sea ice, was expected to be completed by August 2019, Xinhua reported.
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gerontocrat

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Re: Northern Sea Route thread
« Reply #202 on: May 18, 2018, 01:29:52 PM »
https://thebarentsobserver.com/en/industry-and-energy/2018/05/new-arctic-transshipment-hub-built-former-submarine-base

Quote
New Arctic transshipment hub is built in former submarine base
The base, which previously housed 12 submarines from the powerful Pacific Fleet, will soon become terminal for Novatek’s Arctic LNG.


The Russian natural gas company now confirms that the projected transshipment hub will be located in Bechevinka, the abandoned Navy compound in Kamchatka. It will cost up to 1,5 billion and have a capacity of up to 20 million tons of LNG per year, Novatek Deputy Head Aleksandr Fridman told Interfax.

It will be a crucial component in Novatek’s out-shipment scheme for LNG produced in the Arctic. The energy company late last year started production of liquified natural gas in the Yamal LNG project and is aiming for a major expansion into several more Arctic LNG projects. A key share of the liquified gas is aimed at the Asian market and Novatek and partners are building a big fleet of ice-class carriers able to autonomously sail through Arctic waters.

In Bechevinka, the powerful specialised tankers will unload the LNG, whereupon conventional carriers will bring it further to the markets.

According to Interfax, preparations for the construction of the new terminal is already ongoing.

And all about Заброшенный город подводников (Бечевинка, Камчатка) at

https://omsk.com/viewtopic.php?t=314920

At least the terminal is not in the Arctic Ocean

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Ninebelowzero

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Re: Northern Sea Route thread
« Reply #203 on: May 18, 2018, 04:58:04 PM »
.....At least the terminal is not in the Arctic Ocean


From an ecologically point of view that's sound but the intention when conditions allow is probably to shuttle LNG East to it and max out storage capacity before the Winter sets in and at 19 knots the new fleet will make very fast passage most of the time. Conditions off Kamchatka would allow normal tankers to make final deliveries.

gerontocrat

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Re: Northern Sea Route thread
« Reply #204 on: May 18, 2018, 06:31:09 PM »
.....At least the terminal is not in the Arctic Ocean


From an ecologically point of view that's sound but the intention when conditions allow is probably to shuttle LNG East to it and max out storage capacity before the Winter sets in and at 19 knots the new fleet will make very fast passage most of the time. Conditions off Kamchatka would allow normal tankers to make final deliveries.
The LNG fleet being built with a lot of financial and other help from China is designed to shift the gas all year round. Loads of posts about it on postings going back to last summer on this thread, e.g.

https://forum.arctic-sea-ice.net/index.php/topic,854.msg123499.html#msg123499
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gerontocrat

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Re: Northern Sea Route thread
« Reply #205 on: July 13, 2018, 10:25:58 AM »
The Northern Sea Route is open - if you are heading East from the Yamal LNG plant in an icebreaking LNG carrier.

Vladimir Rusanov Completes First Northern Sea Route Transit
https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/vladimir-rusanov-completes-first-northern-sea-route-transit#gs.JDGYxl0

and a longer read (if you really want to be depressed)
https://www.maritime-executive.com/editorials/the-future-of-the-arctic-economy#gs.Wa=59Uc
"Para a Causa do Povo a Luta Continua!"
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magnamentis

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Re: Northern Sea Route thread
« Reply #206 on: July 24, 2018, 03:49:59 PM »
if i had a boat and were waiting i'd start my journey now. looks very much navigable to me.

gerontocrat

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Re: Northern Sea Route thread
« Reply #207 on: August 07, 2018, 10:37:44 PM »
The Russian Sea Route is open, or is it not ( a little tongue of ice in the ESS) ?

Mind you, I bet the Russians are moving ships already. I wonder how much more shipping than last year.
"Para a Causa do Povo a Luta Continua!"
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magnamentis

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Re: Northern Sea Route thread
« Reply #208 on: August 07, 2018, 11:15:43 PM »
The Russian Sea Route is open, or is it not ( a little tongue of ice in the ESS) ?

Mind you, I bet the Russians are moving ships already. I wonder how much more shipping than last year.

the gap to land could be well around 100km, hence it should be navigable ?
« Last Edit: August 08, 2018, 08:39:52 PM by magnamentis »

Jim Hunt

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Re: Northern Sea Route thread
« Reply #209 on: August 08, 2018, 08:48:39 AM »
Mind you, I bet the Russians are moving ships already. I wonder how much more shipping than last year.

There was this news in slightly strange English from the NSRA:

Quote
The vessel Tian Hui flying the flag China makes the first transit flight to water areas of NSR from the West (Emden port, Germany) on the East (Kusniro port, Japan), on July 21 the vessel has entered the water area through the cape of Desire.

However the official list is currently empty?

http://nsra.ru/en/operativnaya_informatsiya/grafik_dvijeniya_po_smp.html

As always at this time of year, there's still a few floes floating around in the Vilkitsky Strait vicinity. Nothing an "intrepid little yacht"couldn't handle though?

http://GreatWhiteCon.info/2017/08/the-northern-sea-route-in-2017/

Is it time for the 2018 version yet?
« Last Edit: August 08, 2018, 09:14:23 AM by Jim Hunt »
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oren

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Re: Northern Sea Route thread
« Reply #210 on: August 08, 2018, 11:06:18 AM »
There was this news in slightly strange English from the NSRA:

Quote
The vessel Tian Hui flying the flag China makes the first transit flight to water areas of NSR from the West (Emden port, Germany) on the East (Kusniro port, Japan), on July 21 the vessel has entered the water area through the cape of Desire.
For anyone wondering (like me), Cape Desire (Mys Zhelaniya) is the northernmost point of Novaya Zemlya, at the entrance to the Kara Sea.

pikaia

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Re: Northern Sea Route thread
« Reply #211 on: August 23, 2018, 11:44:16 AM »
A Danish vessel setting sail from Vladivostok this week is set to become the first container ship to tackle the Arctic sea route north of Russia.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-45271766

Jim Hunt

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Re: Northern Sea Route thread
« Reply #212 on: August 23, 2018, 07:35:56 PM »
A Danish vessel setting sail from Vladivostok this week is set to become the first container ship to tackle the Arctic sea route north of Russia.

Quote
The Venta Maersk, owned by Maersk Line, and carrying 3,600 containers, hopes to reach St Petersburg by late September.

That could be up to 14 days faster than the southern route via the Suez Canal.

Maersk will collect data on the Northern Sea Route to see if the melting of Arctic sea ice has made the passage economically viable.

Maersk said: "The trial passage will enable us to explore the operational feasibility of container shipping through the Northern Sea Route and to collect data."

The Venta Maersk, designed as a new "ice-class" container ship, will carry frozen fish and other refrigerated and general cargo.

The route stretches from the Bering Strait in the east between Russia and Alaska to Norway in the west.

However, Maersk added: "Currently, we do not see the Northern Sea Route as a commercial alternative to our existing network, which is defined by our customers' demand, trading patterns and population centres."

She has set sail, but is still not a million miles from Vladivostok:
« Last Edit: August 23, 2018, 07:47:44 PM by Jim Hunt »
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gerontocrat

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Re: Northern Sea Route thread
« Reply #213 on: August 23, 2018, 11:50:51 PM »
The Russians are coming... even more bigly.

https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/icebreaker-gap-how-russia-planning-build-more-icebreakers-project-power-arctic-29102

The "Icebreaker Gap": How Russia is Planning to Build more Icebreakers to Project Power in the Arctic
Quote
Recently, the state of the U.S. Coast Guard’s icebreaker fleet has been making waves in Washington, DC. Republlcans have suggested diverting funding from the Coast Guard’s initiative to acquire a new heavy icebreaker to the border wall.

This comes at a time where Russia and China are investing more and more money into the Arctic capabilities of their militaries, including icebreakers. But what is Russia’s overall Arctic strategy? How do icebreakers fit into that picture and enable them to project power into the Arctic, and what do they stand to gain?

The current state of the relative size of icebreaker fleets is best summed up in one diagram (see below) put out by the U.S. Coast Guard Office of Waterways and Ocean Policy. There are some key points to be seen here. Only the United States and Russia operate “heavy” icebreakers, indicated in black. Those icebreakers have the highest amount of power available to them, allowing them to operate in the thickest ice sheets. Of those heavy icebreakers, America only has one operational. Russia, on the other hand, has two operational with four more in refit. Once refits are complete, Russian heavy icebreakers will outnumber the American ones 3:1, providing Russia with better capability to run operations in heavy ice packs.

America’s only heavy icebreaker, the USCGC Polar Star- the USCGC Polar Star first entered service in the 1970s. Russia’s fleet of heavy icebreakers are significantly younger than the American ships, entering service in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Russia also fields a far larger fleet of light and medium icebreakers, although these cannot handle thicker ice and mostly are used to keep trading lanes open to northern ports such as Arkhangelsk.
In addition to its already formidable fleet, Russia is planning to build some even bigger icebreakers. The “Leader”-class (LK-110Ya/Pr. 10510) of icebreakers is expected to weigh somewhere around 71,000 tons, which would make it by far the heaviest icebreaker in the world. To compare, the USCGC Polar Star weighs only around 10,000 tons.
The “Leader” would be powered by 110 MW nuclear power plant (hence the 110 in the designation) and be charged with being one of many ships keeping the North Sea route open.

While the “Leader” class is still only on paper at the moment, Russia is nearly done with the “Arktika”-class (LK-60Ya/Pr. 22220) of heavy nuclear icebreakers. These ships also are massive, weighing in at around 33,000 tons. The new Arktika-class ships are expected to undergo sea trials at the end of 2019 .

Link to diagram
https://www.dco.uscg.mil/Portals/9/DCO%20Documents/Office%20of%20Waterways%20and%20Ocean%20Policy/20170501%20major%20icebreaker%20chart.pdf?ver=2017-06-08-091723-907
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oren

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Re: Northern Sea Route thread
« Reply #214 on: August 24, 2018, 08:48:11 AM »
That's a great diagram.
In all honesty, the Russians need way more icebreakers than anyone else, due to their very long arctic coast with actual ports and towns that need to be supplied by sea. But certainly the US and Canada should build more, both for research purposes, arctic operations, and strategic considerations.

Jim Hunt

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Re: Northern Sea Route thread
« Reply #215 on: August 25, 2018, 02:25:50 PM »
I don't know about you, but I reckon there'll be room for Venta Maersk to squeeze through the ESS without testing her Ice Class credentials?

http://GreatWhiteCon.info/2018/08/the-northern-sea-route-in-2018/
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Re: Northern Sea Route thread
« Reply #216 on: August 26, 2018, 06:28:26 PM »
The cruise ship Bremen en route from Tromso to Nome is just passing the New Siberian Islands with no sign of ice on their webcam for the last couple of days, currently at 74.477548° N 140.068423° E


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Re: Northern Sea Route thread
« Reply #217 on: August 27, 2018, 01:17:31 PM »
The Bremen encountered sea ice for the first time today at 73.868038° N 148.019587° E

Jim Hunt

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Re: Northern Sea Route thread
« Reply #218 on: August 27, 2018, 04:39:44 PM »
The Bremen encountered sea ice for the first time today at 73.868038° N 148.019587° E

By 12:50 CEST she was out of the ice again:

http://GreatWhiteCon.info/2018/08/the-northern-sea-route-in-2018/#comment-245342

Current position 73.149865° N, 147.921457° E, if you can believe all those decimal places.
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Pmt111500

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Re: Northern Sea Route thread
« Reply #219 on: August 27, 2018, 07:30:33 PM »
That ice looks very uneven on surface, my guess is this has been under a very heavy snowload, usually you can't see such ice on Baltic, but I'm not very experienced on that, mostly seen coastal ice.

Phil.

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Re: Northern Sea Route thread
« Reply #220 on: August 27, 2018, 07:45:33 PM »
The Bremen encountered sea ice for the first time today at 73.868038° N 148.019587° E

By 12:50 CEST she was out of the ice again:

http://GreatWhiteCon.info/2018/08/the-northern-sea-route-in-2018/#comment-245342

Current position 73.149865° N, 147.921457° E, if you can believe all those decimal places.
Yes now at 72.863807° N 149.126623° E and still ice free.

mitch

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Re: Northern Sea Route thread
« Reply #221 on: August 27, 2018, 08:49:10 PM »
At 72°N, there are only 34 km per degree of longitude, so many of those decimals are superfluous. The 6th decimal place is roughly 3.4 cm vs 11 cm in the latitude direction.

gerontocrat

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Re: Northern Sea Route thread
« Reply #222 on: August 27, 2018, 09:08:48 PM »
The Bremen encountered sea ice for the first time today at 73.868038° N 148.019587° E

The Bremen must have been looking for that ice - the only patch in that area?
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Re: Northern Sea Route thread
« Reply #223 on: August 27, 2018, 09:44:48 PM »
The Bremen encountered sea ice for the first time today at 73.868038° N 148.019587° E

The Bremen must have been looking for that ice - the only patch in that area?

Probably wanted to make it interesting for the clients, they'd hardly seen any ice so far!  You'd expect they'll encounter some more in the next day or so.

Tor Bejnar

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Re: Northern Sea Route thread
« Reply #224 on: August 27, 2018, 10:10:38 PM »
Quote
now at 72.863807° N 149.126623° E
Quote
At 72°N, there are only 34 km per degree of longitude, so many of those decimals are superfluous. The 6th decimal place is roughly 3.4 cm vs 11 cm in the latitude direction.
That is where the ship's bridge is (more specifically, where the GPS instrument is).  The rest of the ship is elsewhere (i.e., at different decimal places).  [or so I learned from an old Coast Guard sailor]
Arctic ice is healthy for children and other living things because "we cannot negotiate with the melting point of ice"

gerontocrat

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Re: Northern Sea Route thread
« Reply #225 on: August 27, 2018, 10:14:12 PM »
Quote
now at 72.863807° N 149.126623° E
Quote
At 72°N, there are only 34 km per degree of longitude, so many of those decimals are superfluous. The 6th decimal place is roughly 3.4 cm vs 11 cm in the latitude direction.
That is where the ship's bridge is (more specifically, where the GPS instrument is).  The rest of the ship is elsewhere (i.e., at different decimal places).  [or so I learned from an old Coast Guard sailor]
It is to be hoped elsewhere is very close to the bridge
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Dharma Rupa

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Re: Northern Sea Route thread
« Reply #226 on: August 27, 2018, 11:55:44 PM »
Quote
now at 72.863807° N 149.126623° E
Quote
At 72°N, there are only 34 km per degree of longitude, so many of those decimals are superfluous. The 6th decimal place is roughly 3.4 cm vs 11 cm in the latitude direction.
That is where the ship's bridge is (more specifically, where the GPS instrument is).  The rest of the ship is elsewhere (i.e., at different decimal places).  [or so I learned from an old Coast Guard sailor]
It is to be hoped elsewhere is very close to the bridge

But does not get closer.

Phil.

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Re: Northern Sea Route thread
« Reply #227 on: August 30, 2018, 02:30:03 PM »
The Bremen encountered sea ice for the first time today at 73.868038° N 148.019587° E

The Bremen must have been looking for that ice - the only patch in that area?

Probably wanted to make it interesting for the clients, they'd hardly seen any ice so far!  You'd expect they'll encounter some more in the next day or so.

And they've managed to avoid ice since then apart from a few occasional patches and are now closing in on Wrangel and if the maps are to believed unlikely to encounter more ice.
This is the thickest patch (pretty much clear water 30 mins later):


Now at 70.485512° N 173.707297° E

gerontocrat

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Re: Northern Sea Route thread
« Reply #228 on: August 30, 2018, 09:19:49 PM »
"I joined the cruise ship,
to see the ice,
and what did I see,
I saw the sea"
"Para a Causa do Povo a Luta Continua!"
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Re: Northern Sea Route thread
« Reply #229 on: August 31, 2018, 01:19:29 AM »
Judging by their position the Bremen has reached Wrangell Island.

Here's the view from the Bremen.
« Last Edit: August 31, 2018, 12:26:40 PM by Phil. »

Jim Hunt

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Re: Northern Sea Route thread
« Reply #230 on: September 04, 2018, 03:24:23 PM »
Quote
Northern Sea Route Traffic jumps more than 80 percent as COSCO of China completes five transits with more on the way. Shipping giant Maersk also active on route as well as a number of cruise ships.

http://www.highnorthnews.com/record-traffic-on-northern-sea-route-as-cosco-completes-five-transits/

Quote
Shipping traffic along Russia’s Northern Sea Route reached new heights during the first eight months of 2018 as cargo volume increased by more than 80 percent compared to the same period last year, Russian media outlets report. The route is, at least during the short summer season, increasingly resembling a traditional shipping lane home to not only natural gas and oil tankers, but also general cargo vessels, cruise ships and, for the first-time ever, container vessels.

China’s shipping giant COSCO, as in previous years, has been very active on Northern Sea Route (NSR), conducting a record-equalling five transits, shipping traffic data indicates. Hapag-Lloyd’s MS Bremen, is sailing along the route with with nearly 200 guests and crew, while Danish company Maersk is sending the first-ever container ship through the Arctic.

During the first half of 2018 five purpose-built ice-class LNG carriers transported 34 loads of natural gas, around 2.5 million tons, to markets in Europe.
"The most revolutionary thing one can do always is to proclaim loudly what is happening" - Rosa Luxemburg

Jim Hunt

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Re: Northern Sea Route thread
« Reply #231 on: September 04, 2018, 07:44:39 PM »
From the Independent Barents Observer:

https://thebarentsobserver.com/en/2018/09/russia-builds-another-military-base-east-arctic

Quote
As the Northern Fleet unfolds a series of exercises in Russian east Arctic waters, Head Commander Nikolay

According to Yevmenov, a new base located near the town of Tiksi will stand ready for operations already within six months. It will include a total of 11 buildings, all of which will be interconnected with roof-covered passages. The buildings will house living quarters for soldiers, an administrative unit, a diesel-fueled power station, water and fuel storage facilities, a cantina, garages and more, the Northern Fleet informs.
"The most revolutionary thing one can do always is to proclaim loudly what is happening" - Rosa Luxemburg

litesong

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Re: Northern Sea Route thread
« Reply #232 on: September 06, 2018, 12:06:07 AM »
At 72°N, there are only 34 km per degree of longitude, so many of those decimals are superfluous.
B-bb-bbbutt, ya figger't et out. Howdy superfluous ist das?

pikaia

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Re: Northern Sea Route thread
« Reply #233 on: September 10, 2018, 10:26:34 PM »
"A convoy of Chinese cargo ships, with at least two carrying turbine blades and other equipment for the wind power industry, has traveled via the Northern Sea Route from Asia to Europe across the Arctic Ocean."

https://e360.yale.edu/digest/five-chinese-ships-led-by-russian-icebreakers-make-arctic-transit?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+YaleEnvironment360+%28Yale+Environment+360%29

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Re: Northern Sea Route thread
« Reply #234 on: September 11, 2018, 04:59:35 PM »
Venta Maersk passing through the New Siberian Islands at a steady 9 knots, no ice there when the Bremen went through about two weeks ago.
Last reported at 2018-Sep-11 00:00 UTC.
Position N 74°12' E 146°12'.

pikaia

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Re: Northern Sea Route thread
« Reply #235 on: September 16, 2018, 01:22:33 PM »
Venta Maersk has almost completed her journey, but needed help from ice-breakers.

http://www.highnorthnews.com/maersk-container-ship-transits-arctic-ocean-with-icebreaker-escort/

Mr.Far

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Re: Northern Sea Route thread
« Reply #236 on: September 17, 2018, 03:43:32 PM »
I anticipate that the Northern Sea Route will soon be open all year round, regardless of the weather conditions and etc. It was the only thought that occurred to me when I came across an article stating that such powerful countries as China and Russia work closely together to develop the Arctic. Contrary to popular opinion, the report of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute mentioned in the article proves that Moscow is not only open to foreign cooperation, but is also ready to increase it. And it is very well illustrated by the “impressive track record of cooperation between China and Russia on the Yamal LNG project”.

And if now I’m probably overestimating the scale of warming of relations between these two countries, then the Western countries definitely underestimate the scale of non-cooperation with Russia on Arctic issues, which may further put them at a disadvantage in terms of access to the Northern Sea Route. And what do you think?

gerontocrat

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Re: Northern Sea Route thread
« Reply #237 on: September 17, 2018, 11:38:19 PM »
Mr. Far,

Russia rules mineral resources up to 200 miles from their coast.
Russia rules the sea only up to 12 miles from their coast, in theory.

But with their rapidly expanding fleet of ice-breakers (40+ and some enormous nuclear-powered jobs in the works), their development of specialised military hardware for Arctic use, new Arctic military bases, the bet on fossil fuel and other minerals from the Arctic for economic survival, theory may give way to force.

ps: China financed a large lump of the Yamal developments to fill the gap when US sanctions blocked western financial institutions from providing the loot.

This is Geo-Politics - The Great Game, being played out in the Arctic. Peace has little to do with it. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute is, in my opinion, being naive.
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sidd

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Re: Northern Sea Route thread
« Reply #238 on: September 18, 2018, 05:52:15 AM »
I had dinner last night with a friend who does ocean cores in the arctic. I am informed that the chinese have a icebreaker (originally bought from ukraine for scrap) converted into a scientific platform. And that they are building a new one, probably for commercial use.

sidd

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Re: Northern Sea Route thread
« Reply #239 on: September 18, 2018, 04:04:25 PM »
I guess that cooperation between countries is precisely the thing that has much to do with geopolitics or The Great Game, whatever you call it. And the Chinese… they know it. They always know exactly or what they do. That’s why they have an expanding economy.

And as for their icebreakers, either converted or built, they are, again, the part of China’s far-sighted policy… or at least their effort to remain the part of The Great Game.

Pavel

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Re: Northern Sea Route thread
« Reply #240 on: September 20, 2018, 03:48:26 PM »


Russia rules the sea only up to 12 miles from their coast, in theory.

Well, in theory Alaska also should be a russian region, not the state Of USA. I know the opinion that Alaska was not actually sold by Russia, but leased for 99 years in 1867, but the USSR for certain political reasons did not require it back. Some historians also argue that Russia did not receive gold that drowned with the Orkney barge that carried it during the storm. But I have no idea is it true or "The Great game"

jacksmith4tx

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Re: Northern Sea Route thread
« Reply #241 on: September 20, 2018, 04:59:01 PM »
Quote
2018/9/19
A commercial container ship has for the first time successfully navigated the Northern Sea Route of the Arctic Ocean, a route made possible by melting sea ice caused by global warming.

With help from Russia's most powerful nuclear icebreaker, it followed the Northern Sea Route up through the Bering Strait between Russia and Alaska, before travelling along Russia’s north coast and into the Norwegian Sea.

Maersk Line, the world’s biggest container shipping company, told The Independent its ship, Venta Maersk, was expected to reach its final destination of St Petersburg next week.

The new ice-class 42,000 ton vessel, carrying Russian fish and South Korea electronics, left Vladivostok, in the far east of Russia, on the 23 August.

They hide the punch line at the end:
Quote
“Currently, we do not see the Northern Sea Route as a commercial alternative to our existing network.”

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/maersk-container-ship-arctic-ocean-northern-sea-route-venta-global-warming-a8543431.html
Science is a thought process, technology will change reality.

SteveMDFP

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Re: Northern Sea Route thread
« Reply #242 on: September 20, 2018, 05:08:34 PM »


Russia rules the sea only up to 12 miles from their coast, in theory.

Well, in theory Alaska also should be a russian region, not the state Of USA. I know the opinion that Alaska was not actually sold by Russia, but leased for 99 years in 1867, but the USSR for certain political reasons did not require it back. Some historians also argue that Russia did not receive gold that drowned with the Orkney barge that carried it during the storm. But I have no idea is it true or "The Great game"

Seems that the sale was a sale, not a lease.  And the gold was used to build railroads in Russia:

150 Years After Sale of Alaska, Some Russians Have Second Thoughts
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/30/world/europe/alaska-russia-sale-150.html

charles_oil

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Re: Northern Sea Route thread
« Reply #243 on: October 13, 2018, 05:27:31 PM »
Lengthy article and some stunning images of the Venta Maesk route this summer:


https://gcaptain.com/photos-venta-maersks-passage-of-the-northern-sea-route/

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Re: Northern Sea Route thread
« Reply #244 on: October 30, 2018, 04:29:10 PM »
According to the (Independent) Barents Observer:

Quote
One person is reported dead and Russia’s only aircraft carrier has been damaged as floating dry dock sinks into the waters of the Kola Bay.

It was early morning Tuesday in Roslyakovo, near Murmansk, when Russia’s biggest floating dry dock experienced serious technical problems reportedly triggered by a power outage.

The accident started as aircraft carrier «Admiral Kuznetsov» was to be taken out of the dock and into the nearby waters, Interfax reports. The vessel was damaged as a large crane fell over the ship deck, sources tell the news agency.

There has not come any official comments from Zvezdochka, the company that operates yard No 82 in Roslyakovo. However, regional Governor Marina Kovtun has issued a video report about the incident.

«It is hard to say what is the reason for the accident,» Kovtun says in the comment distributed on Twitter. «There are rescue services on site and divers in the water, and also a group from the Northern Fleet as well as an investigative team»

The aircraft carrier has now been towed to the nearby Sevmorput Yard No 35, yard press spokesman Yevgeny Gladyshev told Interfax. He makes clear that the power outage was what caused the accident.

There has in recent days been several cases of power outage all over the region, including in the cities of Severomorsk and Murmansk.

According to a subsequent report:

Quote
«It is not yet clear whether the floating dock at the 82nd shipyard, on which aircraft carrier «Admiral Kuznetsov» stood, will be raised», Aleksey Rakhmanov told Interfax.

According to the company director, the dock is now located on deep waters and a lifting operation «will be complicated and very expensive.»

«To lift the dock, which has a loading capacity of 80,000 ton, is in itself an operation that will cost no small money,» he underlines. He also does not exclude that the installation is significantly damaged.

«To say exactly whether it is possible to lift this dock can be done only after divers have studied the condition of the equipment,» he makes clear.

According to the shipyard, the water depths in the area of the dock are more than 60 meters.

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DrTskoul

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Re: Northern Sea Route thread
« Reply #245 on: October 30, 2018, 11:57:43 PM »
Goodbye dock... welcome artificial reef...

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Re: Northern Sea Route thread
« Reply #246 on: January 12, 2019, 08:03:53 PM »
According to The (Independent) Barents Observer:

Quote
It is Sabetta, the new Russian LNG terminal in Yamal Peninsula, which is the destination of the two ships that now are breaking their way through the Northern Sea Route.

The «Boris Sokolov», a 214 meter long condensate tanker, on the 11 December set out from Nansha, China. One day later, it was joined by the «Boris Davydov», a 299 meter long LNG carrier.

The ships are now both on the list of vessels sailing on the Northern Sea Route as provided by the Northern Sea Route Administration (NSRA).

The image is of the Eduard Toll:
"The most revolutionary thing one can do always is to proclaim loudly what is happening" - Rosa Luxemburg

vox_mundi

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Re: Northern Sea Route thread
« Reply #247 on: January 12, 2019, 09:44:04 PM »
U.S. Navy May Deploy Surface Ships to Arctic This Summer as Shipping Lanes Open Up
https://news.usni.org/2019/01/08/navy-may-deploy-surface-ships-arctic-summer-shipping-lanes-open

Quote
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Navy may follow up October’s carrier strike group operations in the Arctic with another foray into the icy High North, with leadership considering sending a group of ships into a trans-Arctic shipping lane this summer, the Navy secretary said.

With three potential trans-Arctic routes potentially opening up, he said, the Navy’s discussion about Arctic presence has changed dramatically in the past two years.

“As an example, this summer, the [chief of naval operations] and I have talked about having some ships make the transit in the Arctic. It’s going to be a multi-service task – I think you’ll see the Coast Guard involved. We’re just fleshing it out right now. But what is the purpose of that? We have to learn what it’s like to operate in that environment,” he said.

Spencer said the Ticonderoga-class cruisers were the last class of Navy ships to be designed with steam systems to remove ice from the ship, and that newer classes are not ice-hardened or equipped with systems to remove ice.

A strategic port up in the Bering [Sea] area is being explored, but that would be a whole-of-government approach: that would be Coast Guard, Navy and [Department of] Commerce in that regard. But it’s an area we have to focus on, most definitely,” the secretary continued.
https://www.defenseone.com/news/2019/01/arctic-warms-us-navy-considering-summer-transit-bering-sea-port/154018/

Quote
... The Arctic is heating up and changing twice as fast as the rest of the globe. Some anticipate that it could regularly be virtually ice-free in summer  by 2040. That reality, coupled with Russia’s aggressiveness, is forcing the Navy to look at its ability to operate in there with thawed eyes. “You’re seeing the discussion change dramatically,” said Spencer. “We had the Navy’s [Arctic] Roadmap. We are adjusting that…and there’s more to come.” 

--------------------------

The Arctic is unforgiving ....

U.S. Amphibs Return to Iceland After Rough Seas Cause Damage, Few Minor Injuries 
https://news.usni.org/2018/10/24/amphib-ships-return-to-iceland-after-rough-seas-cause-damage-few-minor-injuries

Quote
Two of the three ships in the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group had to return to port in Reykjavik, Iceland, after heavy seas en route to Norway injured a few sailors and caused damage to one ship’s well deck.

According to a Navy news release, “the amphibious dock landing ship USS Gunston Hall (LSD-44) experienced heavy seas during the evening of Monday, October 22, 2018. As a result, the ship’s Landing Craft Utilities (LCU) and well deck experienced damage. The Gunston Hall is in port Reykjavik, Iceland for further assessment.”

Amphibious transport dock USS New York (LPD-21) also returned to port as a precautionary measure, according to the release.

All three ships had stopped in Iceland for a pre-exercise training event. The ships were delayed in arriving to Iceland due to heavy seas. Several sailors and Marines involved in the exercise told USNI News that many onboard were sea sick and that the ships altered their course to avoid even worse conditions. The Iwo Jima ARG was supposed to participate in an amphibious landing on Oct. 16, which was pushed to Oct. 17 due to the delay in arriving in Iceland. The landing was eventually canceled due to rough surf in the landing zone.
« Last Edit: January 13, 2019, 01:02:00 AM by vox_mundi »
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gerontocrat

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Re: Northern Sea Route thread
« Reply #248 on: January 13, 2019, 07:57:40 AM »
It is obvious that Russia completely outclasses the US of A when it comes to military capability in the Arctic.
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Re: Northern Sea Route thread
« Reply #249 on: January 13, 2019, 04:15:49 PM »
It is obvious that Russia completely outclasses the US of A when it comes to military capability in the Arctic.

And will continue to do so as long as we have a Russian asset in the White House.