Historic freight run goes 'over the top of the world'Post by Cameron Davidson on 6th September 2010 in Shipping, Industry news Melting ice caps in the Arctic Ocean have brought an unexpected benefit to international shipping, by opening up a new, shorter sea route which almost goes over the top of the world. The first ship to complete the route has just reached China from Norway, carrying a consignment of 40,000 tonnes of iron ore. John Sanderson, the CEO of Northern Iron, the company which ran the service, said that the freight vessel's journey over the northern route from Europe to Asia could cut eight days off the usual schedule for such trips. The 5,000 nautical miles taken off the distance involved is also likely to save Northern Iron many thousands of dollars. Northern Iron began mining in northern Norway in October 2009. It has since sent 15 ships to China, but all these previous sailings had taken a southerly route, via the Suez Canal or the Cape of Good Hope. Pirates in the Indian Ocean were a particular hazard the crews faced in taking this course. South Africa’s Business Day newspaper reported that the route had been made possible by a recent agreement between the Russian and Norwegian authorities to set aside barriers to the operation of international shipping. The iron ore vessel is the first non-Russian ship to be given permission to pass non-stop along the whole length of the route.
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