Pushed Western sanctions: Russia first sent tankers to China through the Arctic - FT

Experts noted that the passage of non -adapted vessels with a dangerous route through the Ice Ocean can lead to a catastrophe and spill a huge amount of oil. In August, Russia for the first time sent two oil tankers to China North Sea, which runs through the Ice Ocean. This step was pushed by Western sanctions, as well as the ability to reduce delivery of cargo by 10 days. Financial Times writes about it.

At first glance, transportation of goods by the northern route is not something special, but the authors of the publication stated that it was a matter of vessels that are not adapted to the movement in the Ice Ocean. "In August, two tankers were permitted to pass the route 3,500 miles along the northern coast of Russia, despite the fact that they are not tankers of the so -called" ice class ", which are reinforced for work in ice waters," the observers write.

The transportation of oil by the Ice Ocean is threatened by a serious environmental disaster, as there is a risk of spilling a huge amount of oil because the vessels are not designed to operate in the harsh conditions of the North. According to British expert Charlie Cronica with Greenpeace UK, the sea ice is unpredictable, so the use of tankers that do not belong to the ice class exacerbates the already high probability of the accident.

However, in the conditions of sanction pressure, Russia is increasingly resorting to logistics routes in the Ice Ocean. Rosatom, which regulates the movement of the Arctic, allowed the vessels of the "non -alien" class to walk along the route from July to mid -November independently or, under easier ice conditions, with the accompaniment of icebreakers. This was facilitated by global warming, through which relatively safe routes have a larger time corridor.

In addition, when departing the cargo with the Arctic, the time is saved. For example, the path from Primorsk to China through the Suez Canal takes about 45 days, while the path of the northern route takes 35 days. However, in any case, the risk of catastrophe is very high, according to representatives of the Ecological Group Bellono, since the movement of the North Sea route even in the summer is always a difficult and dangerous business.