Russia has sent a convoy of oil tankers to 81.5° north latitude as part of an unprecedented Arctic operation. This is further north than any previous Arctic oil tanker convoy. The total volume of oil on board the vessels is estimated at nearly one million tons.
Retired Norwegian professor of marine science Norvald Kjerstad, who closely monitors Arctic shipping developments, stated that “I cannot recall ever seeing so many tankers on the Northern Sea Route (NSR) at the same time.” In an interview with Barents Observer, he noted that the situation is “quite unusual in several aspects.”
The convoy, consisting of at least 15 vessels, unexpectedly passed north of the Severnaya Zemlya archipelago on August 7. Typically, ships traveling the Northern Sea Route choose a route through the Vilkitsky Strait. The current detour is nearly 1,000 km longer. As a result, the ships traveled north of 81.5° north latitude—further than any previous Arctic oil tanker convoy.
By August 10, the ships were already in the East Siberian Sea. Most of the tankers passed north of the New Siberian Islands, while the tanker Saga, according to vessel tracking data, proceeded further south along the coast.
Risky route without proper ice class
According to Norvald Kjerstad, shipping by vessels not designed for ice conditions is “extremely risky.” He noted that although the waters north of Severnaya Zemlya are currently ice-free, there is still a significant amount of ice in the East Siberian Sea and the De Long Strait near Wrangel Island.
“Therefore, it should now be considered extremely risky for ships without a proper ice class to sail the Northern Sea Route,” he said.
The last two tankers, Dinasty (IMO 9311622) and Saga (IMO 9318553), likely do not have an ice class, while Viktor Bakaev (IMO 9610810) has only a low ice class. Kjerstad explains that convoys passing north of Severnaya Zemlya are unusual because the Vilkitsky Strait, in his assumption, is still covered by relatively thick and complex ice. “Likely, this is the northernmost route that regular oil tankers have ever taken,” he added.
Although the area of sea ice in the Arctic has dramatically decreased over the past decades, significant amounts still remain in the region. Ice maps from August 8 show a belt of multi-year ice in certain areas of the East Siberian Sea. The current convoy is accompanied by nuclear icebreakers, as well as LNG carriers with ice-breaking capabilities. On August 10, the nuclear icebreaker Arktika was in the Laptiev Sea, Ural in the Chukchi Sea, and Sibir and Yakutiya in the Kara Sea.
The Russian state company Rosatom is responsible for the development of the Northern Sea Route. It also issues permits for shipping operations and is therefore responsible for the safety of shipping in this area. Kjerstad noted that although in some years a relatively narrow ice-free channel forms north of the archipelago, this has never before led to the level of shipping activity seen now. According to him, he can only recall smaller, ice-strengthened bulk carriers that have used this route.
The convoy included at least eight oil tankers: Vostochny Prospect (IMO 9866392), Liteyny Prospect (IMO 9256078), Ligovsky Prospect (IMO 9256066), Jupiter (IMO 9397535), Jagger (IMO 9354301), Viktor Bakaev (IMO 9610810), Dinasty (IMO 9311622), and Saga (IMO 9318553).
Source: The Barents Observer
