The North-West passaged traversed without icebreakers

[BaalChatzaf]

Here is a vid  of a Russian tanker sailing from the Pacific to the Atlantic  via the arctic crossing without  icebreakers plowing the way.

It turns out warming has  produced a positive  benefit for seaborne commerce.  Now ships too big for the Panama Canal can traverse between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans without going around The Horn.

[Brant Gaede]

46 minutes ago, BaalChatzaf said:

Here is a vid  of a Russian tanker sailing from the Pacific to the Atlantic  via the arctic crossing without  icebreakers plowing the way.

It turns out warming has  produced a positive  benefit for seaborne commerce.  Now ships too big for the Panama Canal can traverse between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans without going around The Horn.

What warming?

--Brant

[BaalChatzaf]

10 hours ago, Brant Gaede said:

What warming?

--Brant

The average atmospheric and sea temperature has gone up since the bottom of The Little Ice Age.  That is how cold spells end.  Things get warmer.  

Year Long passage through the arctic  ice  only began a few years ago.  Prior to the the Northwest Passage  was a quest and a hope.

[BaalChatzaf]

From the Wiki Article on the Panama Canal:

The most direct competition to the canal comes from alternative routes that present options for transporting cargo between the same points of origin and destination.

The opening of the Russian Northern Sea Route and the Canadian Northwest Passage to commercial traffic could pose an alternative to the canal in the long term. Warmer waters in the Arctic Ocean could open the passage for an increasing number of months each year, making it more attractive as a major shipping route. However, the passage through the Arctic would require significant investment in escort vessels and staging ports. The Canadian commercial marine transport industry does not anticipate that this route will be a viable alternative to the Panama Canal within the next 10 to 20 years

 

The improved Panama Canal (with three new wider sets of locks)  has been in operation since the end of 2016.  Even so about  18 percent of the world's large tankers  cannot go through the Panama Canal and cannot  negotiate the Suez Canal.  

[Brant Gaede]

Was the Russian tanker loaded with oil?

If a tanker leaves the Middle East why would it head for the Artic Ocean even if there was no ice to make its delivery? Delivery to where?

But, of course, there is ice.

Let's say there is a shorter and quicker route via the artic. How much would that cost or save additionally?

The stupidest thing is sending gigantic oil tankers full of oil into sea ice.

--Brant

[BaalChatzaf]

4 hours ago, Brant Gaede said:

Was the Russian tanker loaded with oil?

If a tanker leaves the Middle East why would it head for the Artic Ocean even if there was no ice to make its delivery? Delivery to where?

But, of course, there is ice.

Let's say there is a shorter and quicker route via the artic. How much would that cost or save additionally?

The stupidest thing is sending gigantic oil tankers full of oil into sea ice.

--Brant

This tanker exceeds Panamax.  It is equipped with a hull capable of plow through ice four feet thick.  For this journey the ship did not need an ice breaker to run ahead of it. 

Even with the new wide locks  about 20 percent of the world's large ships (mostly tankers)  cannot go through the Panama Canal,  nor can they navigate the Suez Canal. 

[Brant Gaede]

On 8/28/2017 at 10:12 AM, BaalChatzaf said:

This tanker exceeds Panamax.  It is equipped with a hull capable of plow through ice four feet thick.  For this journey the ship did not need an ice breaker to run ahead of it. 

Even with the new wide locks  about 20 percent of the world's large ships (mostly tankers)  cannot go through the Panama Canal,  nor can they navigate the Suez Canal. 

So why didn't they make them smaller? Because they knew the Arctic Ocean could be navigated soon? Is that why the 20% can plow through ice 4 feet thick? Or can they?

Now, when all the arctic ice is gone, if it ever is, super tankers will naturally navigate those waters--saving distance and money? Sure, ships with conex containers from, say, China to Europe, but where does the oil come from/go to? And how much of that 20% is tankers?

--Brant

[BaalChatzaf]

3 hours ago, Brant Gaede said:

So why didn't they make them smaller? Because they knew the Arctic Ocean could be navigated soon? Is that why the 20% can plow through ice 4 feet thick? Or can they?

Now, when all the arctic ice is gone, if it ever is, super tankers will naturally navigate those waters--saving distance and money? Sure, ships with conex containers from, say, China to Europe, but where does the oil come from/go to? And how much of that 20% is tankers?

--Brant

the bigger the tanker the cheaper per gallon to ship oil and the cheaper per cubic foot to ship liquified  gas.  If the north west passage stays open then the big tankers can save even more. 

[Brant Gaede]

6 hours ago, BaalChatzaf said:

the bigger the tanker the cheaper per gallon to ship oil and the cheaper per cubic foot to ship liquified  gas.  If the north west passage stays open then the big tankers can save even more. 

Not if it's the longer route. From the Persian Gulf to and through the Arctic Ocean? I don't think so. Some Russian ships may use it but I didn't know they had any that were too big for or are now using the Panama Canal.

--Brant

[BaalChatzaf]

1 hour ago, Brant Gaede said:

Not if it's the longer route. From the Persian Gulf to and through the Arctic Ocean? I don't think so. Some Russian ships may use it but I didn't know they had any that were too big for or are now using the Panama Canal.

--Brant

About 20 percent of the tankers cannot go through the enlarged Panama Canal.  So they either have to go around the Horn or around Africa.  The North West Passage could shorten some of those trips. 

The best thing that could happen to ocean commerce is for Panama or Nicaragua to sink beneath the waves like Atlantis.  

[Brant Gaede]

2 hours ago, BaalChatzaf said:

About 20 percent of the tankers cannot go through the enlarged Panama Canal.  So they either have to go around the Horn or around Africa.  The North West Passage could shorten some of those trips. 

The best thing that could happen to ocean commerce is for Panama or Nicaragua to sink beneath the waves like Atlantis.  

Which trips?

--Brant

[BaalChatzaf]

7 hours ago, Brant Gaede said:

Which trips?

 

--Brant

And a good thing it was. A U.S. Coastguard icebreaker, assigned to accompany the Manhattan, became stuck at the first challenge of ice, and had to be freed by the Macdonald. Accompanied by another Canadian icebreaker, the U.S. vessel limped home through a less challenging section of the Passage. That left it to the Macdonald to free an ice-bound (“becalmed,” in nautical terms) Manhattan a total of 12 times on the 4,500-mile return voyage from New York to the Prudhoe Bay oil field on the North Slope of Alaska.

look at the bold section.

refineries in the Eastern part of the U.S.  and the oil is in alaska.   The NWP is perfect for this trip.

 

[Brant Gaede]

1 hour ago, BaalChatzaf said:

And a good thing it was. A U.S. Coastguard icebreaker, assigned to accompany the Manhattan, became stuck at the first challenge of ice, and had to be freed by the Macdonald. Accompanied by another Canadian icebreaker, the U.S. vessel limped home through a less challenging section of the Passage. That left it to the Macdonald to free an ice-bound (“becalmed,” in nautical terms) Manhattan a total of 12 times on the 4,500-mile return voyage from New York to the Prudhoe Bay oil field on the North Slope of Alaska.

look at the bold section.

refineries in the Eastern part of the U.S.  and the oil is in alaska.   The NWP is perfect for this trip.

 

Just sell that oil into the international market. No trip is necessary. Use the pipeline.

--Brant

[BaalChatzaf]

12 hours ago, Brant Gaede said:

Just sell that oil into the international market. No trip is necessary. Use the pipeline.

--Brant

In any case  for people far enough north of the equator  a  trip through the NWP is quicker than going down to Panama, crossing over, then coming back north.   The NWP is good news for sea commerce.

The best news would be for Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama to sink to the bottom of the sea.  Problem solved.  Nothing in the way of ships.