The MV Nunavik, a cargo ship carrying 23,000 tons of nickel concentrate (often used in the creation of stainless steel) from the Chinese-owned Nunavik Nickel Mine, has completed its journey from Canadas Deception Bay to Alaskas Point Barrow without an icebreaker escort.
The vessel, owned by Fednav and constructed in Japan, is the very first cargo ship to make this journey unassisted. It is rated as a Polar Class 4 vessel and can withstand year-round operations in first-year ice.
The route to the port of Bayuquan, China, is about 40 per cent shorter than through the Panama Canal. The successful voyage underlines the huge role global warming is playing in international trade. Panamas stranglehold on shipping is under threat for the first time in 100 years. Testing will begin mid next year on a new set of locks that will allow the worlds largest tankers to pass through, but the project is suffering cost overruns heading into the billions.