The first-ever container ship to connect Asia and Europe via the ‘new’ Arctic route completed its journey after reaching the Polish port of Gdańsk. Will this new link start “a new era of shipping”, as the port put it, or will it just turn into a seasonal connection?
The vessel, called Istanbul Bridge, left the Chinese port of Qingdao and reached Felixstowe, England, after 18 days. On Tuesday, it arrived in Gdańsk, for a total journey of 28 days. “This is a much shorter route than the traditional route through the Suez Canal, which takes about 40 days”, the port added.
The future of this route is closely tied to climate change, as running ships across the Arctic Sea is only possible due the ice melting. Moreover, at least for now, it remains viable only seasonally, as it is still frozen for much of the year.
Read what transport experts had to say about this new route:
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