Page 67: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (March 2016)

Arctic Shipping Routes May Open by 2080

Commercial summer shipping across havior in a way that helps industry in and Waves Reaching Polar Regions tries. In addition, it also received Nation- the North Pole may be possible by the Europe. The study was conducted as part (SWARP)”, which aims to use oceano- al Capability funding from the Natural end of the century, with the ? rst potential of the EU FP7 funded project “Ships graphic research to help European indus- Environmental Research Council.

crossings feasible for ice-strengthened ships around 2040. According a study by scientists at the National Oceanog- raphy Center (NOC), Arctic shipping could potentially account for as much as 10 percent of all cargo transported between Europe and the Paci? c. It will help supply communities and industries along the coasts of Siberia and Canada.

A simulation using NOC ocean models suggests that approximately 40 percent of Arctic summer sea-ice cover will con- sist of broken-up ice by the 2040s. This will allow certain classes of ice-strength- ened ships to move directly through the

WIDE RANGE OF SURFACE PREPARATION high Arctic, saving time and fuel relative

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to travelling up the Siberian coast.

Although fuel savings could have eco- nomic and environmental bene? ts, soot

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Photo: NOC www.marinelink.com 67

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