Transarctic shipping
Transarctic shipping refers to shipping traffic across the Arctic Ocean .
meaning
The reason for the risky and resource-intensive research into possible routes through the Arctic Ocean was and is the search for geographically shorter routes from Europe to East Asia. The oldest trade route in the world is to be significantly shortened.
For commercial ships, the travel time via the Eastern Passage from Europe to China is reduced by around half.
After the current development of the trans-circular Arctic ice sheet, the then Icelandic President Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson spoke enthusiastically of the “ Trans-Arctic Panama Canal” in 2010.
geography
The Arctic Ocean of the Arctic Ocean borders the northern areas of the countries and land parts Alaska ( United States ), Canada and Greenland ( Denmark ), Iceland , Norway and Russia . The political affiliation of different parts of the Arctic Ocean to the neighboring states is, however, controversial.
Seafaring in the arctic areas of the Arctic Ocean is associated with great technical effort due to the adverse environmental conditions and requires great seafaring experience.
The Northeast Passage
The Northeast Passage is the sea route along the northern coasts of Europe and Asia , from the White Sea to the Bering Strait . The Northeast Passage is around 6,500 kilometers long.
The Swede Nordenskiöld succeeded in making the first complete passage through winter in 1878 and 1879. However, it was not until 53 years later (1932) that the Soviet icebreaker Alexander Sibirjakow succeeded in crossing the Northeast Passage for the first time without wintering.
Today the western part of the route (section Kara with the ports of Murmansk , Arkhangelsk , Dudinka near Norilsk ) is navigable almost all year round. There, ores are mainly transported westwards and supplies eastwards. In the eastern section ( Nordwik , Tiksi , Pewek ) the passage through difficult-to-pass sections of pack ice is restricted, so that the transport volume in 1989 was only about a tenth of the western section and the ports are mainly supplied from the east.
The Northwest Passage
The Northwest Passage is the sea route that connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans north of the American continent . It leads over the Arctic Ocean and its marginal seas as well as the associated ocean roads through the Canadian-Arctic archipelago . It is around 5,780 kilometers long and was first completely crossed by Roald Amundsen from 1903 to 1906 on the route discovered by John Rae through the James Ross Strait , Rae Strait and Simpson Strait on the small ship Gjøa .
Ice conditions in the 21st century
Since the beginning of the 1990s, a sometimes rapid decline in summer ice cover in the Arctic has been observed as a result of global climate change .
Daily distribution maps of the Arctic Ice Cap are now calculated from the data from satellite-supported microwave sensors and show the current and periodic development of the ice sheet.
history
First expeditions in the early modern period
In the late Middle Ages and at the beginning of the modern era , when sea routes from Western Europe to East and Southeast Asia were being sought, possible northern passages were considered. In the 16th century in particular, the emerging sea powers England and the Netherlands looked for possible routes across the North Sea. English sailors, such as Martin Frobisher and, most recently, William Baffin in this epoch , explored possible approaches to the Northwest Passage. The Dutchman Willem Barents, on the other hand, was looking for ways to the Northeast Passage . Unexplored areas were named after the names of the first sailers ( Baffin Bay , Bylot Island, etc.). An important trigger for the exploration of possible North Sea routes was the competitive situation of the sea powers. Portugal and Spain already dominated the routes around South Africa and South America.
Expeditions from the 19th century
At the beginning of the 19th century it was mainly British expeditions that resumed the search for the Northwest Passage. Worth mentioning are the journeys of John Ross in 1818 and William Edward Parry in 1819/20, but especially the Franklin expedition of 1845, which ended in 1848 with the death of the last of the original 129 participants. The numerous search expeditions that were sent out in the following years to investigate the fate of the missing John Franklin finally cleared up the route of the Northwest Passage, but without a ship having passed through it.
During this time the theory of the ice-free Arctic Ocean was popular, which was only clearly refuted towards the end of the 19th century. It said that an ice-free, navigable zone should exist around the North Pole. The origins of the theory go back to Robert Thorne († 1527). Willem Barents and Henry Hudson also based their expeditions to discover the Northwest Passage on this theory. Its strongest and most respected advocate among 19th century geographers was August Petermann . After more and more polar explorers were trapped in the thick ice layer of the Arctic Ocean on their expeditions to the north up to the middle of the 19th century, which was an insurmountable barrier for the ships of the time, it was almost forgotten. In fact, it has been refuted by practice.
Two Scandinavians finally managed to conquer the two northern passages. First of all, the Swede Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld managed to cross the Northeast Passage with his ship Vega from 1878 to 1879. From 1903 to 1906 the Norwegian Roald Amundsen crossed the Northwest Passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific.
Technical Progress and the Cold War in the 20th Century
In the emerging Cold War , it was considered proof of technical strength to be present in the Arctic Ocean. The US nuclear submarine Nautilus went diving under the geographic North Pole in 1958. The sister ship Skate appeared a little later in a polynya near the North Pole.
In the middle of the 20th century, the "Siberian passage" across the Arctic Ocean became routine. The Soviet Union used the waters for shipping. Many research and warships, but also cargo ships, were on the route during the summer months. The northern coastal traffic between the mouths of the Lena , Yenisei and Ob became an important transport route for the industrial development of Siberia between the 1930s and 1970s. The USSR is setting up its own authority, the Northern Sea Route Headquarters (Glavsevmorput), which was responsible for the use of the Northeast Passage. Up to 35,000 people worked there.
But this sea route initially lost its importance for the USSR, as the expansion of the rail and air transport network was progressing and the sea route was comparatively unpredictable.
Scientific expeditions in the 21st century
In 2008, the German research vessel Polarstern was able to circumnavigate the Arctic Ocean from Greenland via Canadian and Russian waters to Northern Europe for the first time in summer thanks to favorable seasonal ice conditions.
Just one year later, two specially equipped merchant ships from Beluga Shipping were the first commercial and non-Russian ships to cross the Northeast Passage. They were accompanied by an icebreaker.
Current shipping traffic
Transport via the polar routes is increasingly becoming the norm. In the hundred years from 1906 to 2006, only 69 ships, mostly with explorers and scientists, passed through the “nautical ice tunnels” of both passages. According to the Canadian maritime law expert Michael Byers, there were already 24 in 2009.
Critical cargoes are already being transported: in 2010, the Russian tanker Baltika transported 70,000 tons of gas condensate from Murmansk, Russia, through the Arctic to Ningbo, China .
Russian fleet
The Russian Federation presented its plans for two new atomic icebreakers with 16 megawatt reactors at the 2010 Arctic Conference in Moscow. Thanks to an adjustable draft, they should also be usable in shallow water. In 2010, Gazprom put the first of two ice-reinforced tankers into service for the Prirazlomnoye ( Pechora Sea ) oil field . The 260 meter long ship can move forward through one and a half meter thick ice. The rival company Lukoil had three similarly constructed ships built in 2010. You can bring oil from the Arctic offshore terminal in Varandej for onward transport to Murmansk . The five freighters of the mining company Norilsk Nickel are also suitable as ice breakers .
Ship development
Other countries, especially Canada, Norway, England and Denmark, are also developing Arctic-compatible ship types for commercial shipping. The German Phoenix shipping company in Leer has had a new bow shape developed for ice-breaking ships.
Norwegian developers are planning a new type of ship. The "Arctic Ship" is expected to be in the waters around the North Pole in just a few years. The ships should differ from conventional ships, as they should be suitable for navigation in the vicinity of the North Pole thanks to special rescue systems consisting of a combination of lifeboat and tracked vehicle as well as sophisticated electronics.
Political-administrative situation
The sovereignty claims of the states bordering the Arctic will play an essential role for future use by sea transport. For the mainland, the claims have largely been clarified. However, there are hardly any binding regulations for the maritime area , while the diverse territorial and usage claims of the neighbors are increasing. Due to the changing environmental situation, the area is becoming more and more interesting for commercial use.
The UN Convention on the Law of the Sea of 1994 gives every resident the right to designate a sovereign zone of 12 nautical miles, which can be expanded to 24 nautical miles. The sea route of the Northwest Passage, for example, is at the level of the Parry Channel on Resolute Bay (in the Canadian-Arctic archipelago ) in its entire width in the 24 nautical mile territory of Canada. However, the EU and the USA regard this route as an “international trade connection” and not, like Canada, as Canada's inland sea .
The national demands of the neighbors also have an impact on shipping in the Arctic Ocean. Canada laid claim to the region between Alaska and Greenland including the North Pole as early as 1925. Just a few months later, the Soviet Union claimed an even larger piece. In 2007, a Russian submarine placed a flag made of titanium in the sea floor at the North Pole. The Canadians reacted angrily, saying they couldn't just drive around the world and raise flags.
In autumn 2011, Russia reinforced its border troops in the polar region. Russia sent two brigades with almost 10,000 soldiers specially trained for the Arctic to the border. They are supposed to safeguard and protect Russian interests, especially the base on the Yamal Peninsula in northwest Siberia, a very suitable hub for oil or gas pipelines from the Arctic to Russia. The Foreign Ministry also cited climate change as the reason for the troop increase. The Russian special ambassador for the Interfax agency said that their national border was previously secured by ice and a harsh climate. But now the ice is melting and thousands of kilometers are unguarded. Russia lays claim to a 1.2 million square kilometer polar area including the North Pole, as well as to the rights of use in this sea area. Russia must also be able to protect the ships in the Northeast Passage in the Arctic Ocean, said the special envoy. The sea route along the northern coast of Europe and Asia has so far been dominated by Russian ships. Meanwhile, more ships from other nations also used the route. Russia strongly rejects the stationing of NATO troops in the region.
China is also interested in the sea routes in the Arctic Ocean, even if the country has not yet been granted any part of the Arctic. The “researches” of the Chinese are viewed critically by other countries, as there is reason to suspect that they are mapping raw materials outside of international agreements.
environment and nature
The north polar regions are very rich in nutrients and therefore in fish stocks. This ecosystem is endangered by increasing maritime traffic.
In July 2010, two tankers collided off the New Siberian Islands in a formation with an icebreaker. The ship in front had to reduce its speed due to heavy ice drift. Both tankers had 13,300 tons of diesel loaded. Rescue cruisers and vehicles for combating oil and pollutants, which could quickly come to the aid of the damaged tankers, are hardly available for the huge and difficult-to-navigate Arctic Ocean.
Future development
The geographer Marco Langer believes that Transarctic shipping can establish itself in the future due to the shrinking sea ice . However, a route directly over the North Pole is hardly possible even in summer.
Because of the unpredictable ice cover, experts do not believe that in future a large number of ships will travel from Rotterdam to Tokyo via the northern transit route (Northeast Passage). In contrast, the transport of huge quantities of raw materials from the Arctic is expected to increase. The European Union's Arctic Strategy published in 2012 also takes this into account.
Publications
- M. Langer et al .: Prospects for Arctic seafaring in the future . In: Warning signal climate: The seas - changes & risks , Verlag Wissenschaftliche Auswertungen, Hamburg 2011. ISBN 3-9809668-5-2
- Sybille Reinke de Buitrago: China and its ambitions in the Arctic. A growing challenge? Marineforum 6-2017, pp. 21-23.
Movies
- arte: With Open Cards (2004): The Northwest Passage
Web links
- Regularly updated ice cover maps of the North Pole , Institute for Environmental Physics (University of Bremen), based on data from the microwave sensor AMSR-E (on board Aqua).
References and comments
- ↑ a b Panama Canal at the North Pole , Der Spiegel, 29/2010, September 27, 2010
- ↑ Regular updated ice cover maps of the North Pole , Institute for Environmental Physics (University of Bremen), based on data from the microwave sensor AMSR2 (on board Shizuku (satellite) ). There is also historical data there .
- ↑ Innovative ship design is in demand , VDI nachrichten , July 15, 2011
- ↑ Russia strengthens border troops in the Arctic , Greenpeace Magazin, September 20, 2011
- ^ The Struggle for the Arctic , Deutsche Welle , August 1, 2011
- ↑ M. Langer et al. (2011): Perspectives of the Arctic seafaring in the future , in: Warning signal climate: The sea changes and risks , Verlag Wissenschaftliche Auswertungen
- ↑ TV show on YouTube