News German ships blaze Arctic trail

[Notebook]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8251914.stm

Keep a good look-out, or it could be another Titanic...

N.

 

[SiberianTiger]

How is this different from usual seasonal cargo traffic along this route?

 

[Notebook]

I don't know, I assumed its a first?

N.

 

[Urwumpe]

Beluga Shipping is a rather experimental shipping company, they are also testing parasails as propulsion support.

And it won't be another Titanic. We can understand the warning.

---------- Post added at 12:46 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:26 AM ----------

How is this different from usual seasonal cargo traffic along this route?

Simple: there is no usual season cargo traffic from Bering Strait to North Sea.

 

[StarLost]

Usually I find that the BBC is much more accurate in its reporting than other media outlets. This time it's a Big Miss.

Sib ... I'll let you educate them. The North East passage has been open to seasonal shipping for quite some time. It's the North West passage across the top of North America that usually isn't (though it has been mostly open in the summer months during the last two years).

 

[IthyStPete]

Apparently, the big news is that it's now possible to cross it without assistance from icebreakers.

 

[movieman]

Apparently, the big news is that it's now possible to cross it without assistance from icebreakers.

Odd, because the news article says:

"Both ships left South Korea in late July, negotiating the passage off north-eastern Siberia behind two Russian icebreakers."

And another article I read said they were accompanied by a Russian nuclear icebreaker for at least part of the journey.

Sounds like another case of scientifically-inept BBC reporters combined with their 'global warming' agenda.

 

[IthyStPete]

Looks like the icebreakers are a just-in-case thing, they're not actually being used. Furthur articles on the subject:
http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/04/commercial-arctic-passage-nearing-goal/
http://www.barentsobserver.com/german-vessels-ready-for-the-northern-sea-route.4616626-16175.html

 

[Notebook]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8264345.stm

And, as Captain Durov points out, "it is much safer up north: there are no pirates"

Well, that explains it then.

N.

 

[insane_alien]

the northeast passage has been used for almost a century.

in other news, scientists have discovered how to make ships out of metal!