Tanker Ship Making First Arctic Crossing
28th November 2012
A large gas tanker ship is set to sail across the arctic from Europe to Japan, now possible with changing climate conditions, officials said.
The Ob River, a large tanker carrying liquefied natural gas, left Norway Nov. 7 and has sailed north of Russia on its way to Japan, using an arctic route that will take 20 days off the regular journey and have it arrive in Japan in early December, the BBC reported Sunday.
Yeah, that Global Warming means we’re all doomed, man. Bummer.
“We have studied lots of observation data — there is an observable trend that the ice conditions are becoming more and more favorable for transiting this route,” Tony Lauritzen, commercial director of the Greek company Dynagas, said. “You are able to reach a highly profitable market by saving 40 percent of the distance, that’s 40 percent less fuel used as well.”
But what about the poor stranded-on-an-ice-floe-in-the-middle-of-nowhere polar bears?
“It’s an extraordinarily interesting adventure,” he said. “The people on board have been seeing polar bears on the route. We’ve had the plans for a long time and everything has gone well.”
Oh, right, polar bear numbers are actually increasing.