The Chinese Knock Nevis have set sail from the port of Taicang and Rizhao, near Shanghai, on a new voyage to the Arctic aimed at creating a more efficient international transport corridor. The two ships chose to use Russia's North Sea Route as a shortcut between Chinese ports and European destinations, avoiding potentially risky waters such as the Red Sea and the need to circumnavigate the distant Cape of Good Hope, thus greatly shortened the distance of the voyage.
The Xin Xin Hai 1 set off on 5 July, crossing the Bering Strait and entering the Arctic Sea Route. The vessel weighs 21,279 DWT and has a capacity of 1220 TEU. Given that Arctic waters, particularly the East Siberian Sea sea, are still subject to extreme navigational conditions in the summer despite the loss of most of the sea ice, so Xinxinhai 1 was escorted by the Siberian nuclear-powered icebreaker to ensure safe navigation.This was followed by another sister ship, Xin Xin Hai 2, which set out from Rizhao port a week later in mid-july and also headed for the Bering Strait and along the Arctic route. The vessel, with a carrying capacity of 29,008 tons, is operated by the same company as the Xin Xin Hai 1, new new Shipping Line. New Ocean shipping has been operating routes in the Arctic since last summer and plans to expand its business this year, last year, though, a ship called the NewNew Polar Bear caused a row over damage to infrastructure in the Baltic Sea.
Their final destination is the Arkhangelsk port in the north-west of the country, before heading to other Baltic ports. Notably, in addition to the new seaborne vessels, there are several Panamanian Knock Nevis such as Flying Fish 1, SFT Turkey and SFT Egypt, the ships, all part of ANFO's Safetrans Line, have also been allowed to sail along the route, becoming larger container ships capable of crossing the
Safetrans Line (ANFO shipping Line) , a Hong kong-registered company that operates exclusively in Russia, is committed to providing customers with a stable and efficient all-water delivery route from China to St Petersburg Silla. In addition, ANFO has expanded routes from Egypt and Turkey to St. Petersburg Silla to meet diverse customer needs.However, SFT Turkey and SFT Egypt will not be operational until after August 1 if proper ice classification is not obtained.
Denmark's Maersk remains the only major container shipping operator to make a successful Arctic voyage, a feat accomplished by its Venta Maersk in August 2018. In contrast, despite the obvious economic and geographical advantages of the Arctic route, several operators, including MSC, CMA CGM and HAPPAG Lloyd, have publicly renounced the route for environmental reasons, mSC reiterated that decision last week.
Article Source: Maritime Network
