Russia Ramps Up Arctic Oil Tanker Shipping to a New Record
- 15 oil tankers have crossed the Arctic waters so far this year
- With a month to go that already exceeds last year’s total
The Arctic LNG 2 project in the Arctic circle.
Photographer: Natalia Kolesnikova/AFP/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
Russia has already dispatched a record amount of oil through its section of the Arctic Circle this year, expediting cargo deliveries to China in what is an environmentally sensitive area.
At least 15 oil tankers, carrying about 10.7 million barrels of crude have used the Northern Sea Route, the name given to the passage along Russia’s northern coast, so far this year. That compares with a total of 14 vessels hauling about 10.5 million barrels in the whole of last year’s navigation season. There’s still a month to go before the waters get too icy and perilous for transit.