The first gas tanker crossed the Arctic

A Greek liquefied gas vessel will cross the Arctic Ocean to Japan in December.

Ob River, the name of a specially designed gas tanker, left Norway on 7 November. It is moving to northern Russia before going to Japan. A Russian icebreaker escorts Ob River in most of the journey. Under the plan, Ob ​​River will travel to Japan within the first half of December. The travel time of the ship will be reduced by 20 days compared to the normal route.

Greece's Dynagas owns Ob River, but Russia's Gazprom gas group has hired gas ships from Norway to Japan via the Barents Sea in the Arctic Ocean.

The Ob River gas tanker of Dynagas in Greece. (Photo: shipspotting.com)

'This is an extremely interesting journey. Sailors on the ship have seen polar bears during travel. Everything goes smoothly , "said Tony Lauritzen, commercial director of Dynagas.

Lauritzen said that the Dynagas leadership decided to let the ship move through the Arctic Ocean due to the thaw here.

'We have studied a lot of scientific data and found that the conditions on the Arctic Ocean are now becoming more convenient for transport operations. Profit will increase when the distance decreases by 40%, which means saving 40% of fuel , 'Lauritzen said.

Icebreaker ship moves in front of gas tanker
burn Ob River after it leaves Norway. (Photo: Dynagas)

The latest images provided by satellites show that the thickness of the ice in the Arctic has dropped to its lowest level in history. Some US scientists warn that, in less than 10 years, the Earth's north pole will be free of ice.

The ice in the Arctic melts faster than the scientific forecasts for the greenhouse effect. That situation not only negatively affects polar bears, but also changes the climate around the world. The ice is capable of reflecting the sun's rays, causing the amount of heat absorbed by the ocean. When the ice somewhere in the ocean disappears, water absorbs more heat.

As a result, ice elsewhere continues to melt and the area of ​​the water is expanding. The melting of ice could also cause disputes among countries in exploiting resources such as oil and sea transport.