This year, amid global warming and instability in the Middle East, the number of ships transiting the Arctic route is expected to increase by approximately 50% compared to last year.
According to the Asahi Shimbun on November 2, the Norwegian Arctic Logistics Center (CHNL) reported that as of the end of September, 104 ships had passed through the Arctic route, surpassing last year's total of 103. CHNL anticipates that the total number of ships for the year will reach 150, marking an increase of about 46% from the previous year.
Notably, more than half of the ships using the Arctic route this year, totaling 52, were traveling between Russia and China, while 42 ships operated domestically within Russia.
The Arctic route, also known as the Northeast Passage, is a maritime transport route that stretches from the Kara Sea in the west along the Russian Arctic coast to the Bering Strait in the east. It is one of the shortest maritime routes connecting Asia and Europe, taking about 20 days to cover approximately 13,000 kilometers. This route is about 35% shorter and takes roughly ten days less than the traditional route through the Suez Canal connecting the Mediterranean and the Red Sea.
The increase in Arctic route usage is attributed to the melting of Arctic ice due to global warming over the past few decades, which has extended the period during which ships can navigate this route. Additionally, concerns over the safety and reliability of existing routes through the Red Sea and Suez Canal due to instability in the Middle East have drawn attention to the Arctic route as an alternative.
Countries in Northeast Asia, including South Korea, China, and Japan, are actively pursuing the use of the Arctic route. The South Korean ship Panstar Acro departed from Busan on August 22, transited the Arctic route, and made stops in Felixstowe, England; Rotterdam, Netherlands; and Gdansk, Poland, before returning via the Arctic route. It completed the round trip as the first South Korean container ship to do so on October 11.
China also launched its first regular container shipping service along the Arctic route in September last year with the container ship Istanbul Bridge, connecting China and Europe. Japan plans to begin trial operations of the Arctic research vessel Mirai II, built by the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), along the Arctic route starting in March next year.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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