M/V Nordic Barents set to take on Northern Sea Route gCaptain Total Views: 225 August 27, 2010 A historic event is set to take place in Northern Norway in early September, as a bulk carrier with a non-Russian flag will use the Northern Sea Route as a transit trade lane for the first time. One of the only modern heavy ice-class bulk carriers, the MV NORDIC BARENTS, will carry a cargo of 41,000 tons of iron ore concentrate through Arctic and Russian waters to China. Russian authorities are said to have given this project their first-ever approval for a foreign flagged vessel to ship a cargo in transit from a foreign port to a foreign port through Russian waters. The international shipping industry is excited and optimistic about this new development in the maritime industry. Behind this transit voyage is a strong Nordic-Russian partnership between Norwegian Tschudi Shipping Company, Danish Nordic Bulk Carriers, and Russian Rosatomflot. This development signifies great strides between the Nordic countries and Russia, hopefully opening doors to new shipping, mining, and trade opportunities as well as to Nordic Bulk Carriers in this crucial region. Felix H. Tschudi, Chairman of the Norwegian Tschudi Shipping Company, explains, “The Northern Sea Route can be of great importance for the companies in northern Scandinavia and on the Kola Peninsula, which ship oil, gas, minerals, and other raw materials to the increasingly important Asian markets.” The MV NORDIC BARENTS is an ice-class 1a ship, the highest conventional ice-class, and was the only ship classification that Russian authorities would allow for the transit. Not all ships are equipped for such a route, leaving only a few select vessels capable of handling the task. The northern sea route to China is a historic transit across the Arctic, and is shorter than traditional shipping routes generally sailing through the Suez Canal. Through the use of this waterway ships will save on time, fuel, and co2. According to partn