Workshop "The Northern Sea Route as a Transit Route"

The Kiel Earth Institute organized in cooperation with Det Norske Veritas Hamburg an expert workshop entiteled “The Northern Sea Route as Transit Route – Is an Investment Worthwhile?“. Representatives from business and academia discussed existing research, high level drivers, showstoppers and key performance indicators.

Background: Ice conditions in the arctic are changing dramatically due to climate change. The decline of the arctic sea-ice arouses various economic interests – among them the interest in a new transit route from Europe to Asia. Until now, the Northern Sea Route (NSR) is blocked by sea-ice almost year-round. Different climate projections show that the NSR will be passable for a period of many months of the year in the near future. A reliable sea-ice prediction is the basic requirement for estimating the benefit of the NSR as a transit route. The use of the NSR shortens the way from Europe to Asia noticeably. The economic incentive of using the NSR by merchant shipping is the reduction of costs for fuel and the economy of time. This is set against unknown accompanying costs. Additional operational costs for the ships and costs resulting from legal, logistical and environmental conditions have to be considered.
Further information: Agenda.

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