Northeast Passage versus the Suez Canal
Northeast Passage versus the Suez Canal
By prisca.campbell
When 50 Years of Victory is not transporting our guests to the North Pole, the nuclear-powered icebreaker escorts ships through the Northeast Passage.
In the news today - September 2, 2010 - is the announcement that Victory had succesfully escorted Baltica, a tanker carrying 70,000 tons of gas, 2500 nautical miles (4630 km). By using the Arctic shipping route, and avoiding the Suez Canal, the transport was completed in 11 days instead of 21 and saved the tanker's owner $300,000 USD.
Does the succesful delivery to Shanghai mean the end of the usefulness of the Suez Canal. Not in my lifetime. Experts say that the nothern route has to ship 30 million tons of cargo annually to be economically feasible.
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