- It has been an Arctic odyssey for the ships and crews that in November got stuckin sea-ice on the remote Northern Sea Route.
- After a month of icy captivity and subsequent icebreaker rescue, a convoy of nine vessels this week made it to safety in the Kara Sea.
A recent news published in the Barents Observer talks about how ships complete ‘historical passage’ on Northern Sea Route.
Russian nuclear icebreaker
A Russian nuclear icebreaker on the 7th of December completed the escort of ships that started in the far eastern Arctic, almost six thousand kilometres away.
It has been a historical passage on the route, General Director of Atomflot Mustafa Kashka says in a comment.
He praises the captain of the Vaigach, Mikhail Goncharenko, who successfully managed to bring the many ships into safe haven.
“It was his first voyage after his appointment and he truly demonstrated that he is a worthy descendent of our school of Arctic captains,” Kashka underlines.
Kumpula, the Finnish bulk carrier
Among the eight vessels that were escorted by the Vaigach is Kumpula, the Finnish bulk carrier. The ship entered the Bering Strait in early November and was due to reach the Danish port of Skagen on the 22nd of November.
After icebreaker escort into the East Siberian Sea, the 197 meter long carrier was located more than a week in full isolation north of the New Siberian Islands waiting for further icebreaking assistance. The ship on the 7th of December sailed independently into the ice-free Barents Sea. The ice-class Arc4 Kumpula has Helsinki as its home port.
It is expected to arrive in the Norwegian port of Narvik on the 11th of December, updated information from the MarineTraffic shows.
Ship owner ESL Shipping has not responded to requests from comments for the Barents Observer.
Part of historical convoy
Among the other seven vessels that were part of the historical convoy was the Selenga, which is now moored in the Sever Bay in Taymyr where it delivers construction goods to Rosneft’s major Vostok Oil project.
The remaining vessels, oil tanker Vladimir Rusanov, cargo ships Severnyi Proect, Mekhanik Pustoshnyy, Grigoryy Shelikhov, RZK Constanta and Turukhan are expected to arrive in Arkhangelsk on the 9th of December.
Did you subscribe to our daily Newsletter?
It’s Free! Click here to Subscribe
Source: The Barents Observer
