Chinese Vessel Heads for Northeast Passage

COSCO Shipping Co. has sent its multi-purpose vessel Yong Sheng on the first ever commercial transit of the Northeast Passage for a Chinese vessel. The company organized a sail-away ceremony at Dalian port in Northeast China’s Liaoning province on Thursday, August 8th.

The Northeast Passage – a sea lane measuring about 2,936 sea miles, includes: sailing west across the Bering Strait, through the Chukchi Sea, East Siberian Sea, running across the Laptev Sea, Vilkitsky Channel, the Kerala Sea, the Barents Sea the final point being the European waterway ports.

The Arctic Northeast Passage and Arctic Northwest Passage together form the Arctic waterway which is the most economical route in this region because it can reduce voyage for 12-15 days.

Once the new passage is opened, it will change the market pattern of the global shipping industry because it will shorten the maritime distance significantly among the Chinese, European and North American markets.

As for COSCO, the new route will offer favorable opportunities to all of the company’s shipping businesses, during the currently unfavorable period, by cutting operational costs, fuel consumption and carbon emissions.

The multi-purpose vessel Yong Sheng, with the total deadweight tonnage of 19,461 tons, is expected to arrive in the Bering Strait on Aug 25, the final destination being the port of Rotterdam, where the vessel is expected to anchor on September 11th.

[mappress]

World Maritime News Staff, August 12, 2013; Image: COSCO