The diesel-electric ice-class container ship Zapolarniy owned by MMC Norilsk Nickel has arrived at its destination - the port of Shanghai, the company said Tuesday.
The vessel laden with 9,000 tons of copper and nickel of Norilsk Nickel’s Arctic Division left Murmansk port on Sep. 12 and called at the port of Dudinka on Sept. 17. On September 21st, the Zapolarniy set sail on her voyage on the route Murmansk-Dudinka-Shanghai and back across the Northern Sea Route. The container ship passed the shipping lane without icebreaker’s assistance, the Company said.
Director of Norilsk Nickel's Murmansk transport branch Alexei Tyukavin noted this was the second successful voyage of NorNickel's vessels on the NSR without icebreakers support. In 2010, MV Monchegorsk was the company's first ever cargo ship that had crossed the Northeast Passage not escorted by an icebreaker and successfully reached the port of destination in Asia.
In Shanghai the Zapolarniy will dock for the scheduled examination by the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping (RMRS). In November, on her homeward voyage the vessel will carry on board maintenance supply cargo, equipment and consumer goods for the residents of Norilsk industrial region.
MMC Norilsk Nickel is a diversified mining and metal producing company, a leading global producer of nickel, palladium, platinum, cobalt, copper and rhodium. The company specializes also in mining of gold, silver, iridium, osmium, selenium, ruthenium and tellurium.
The Company’s facilities are located across the world, operating in Russia (Norilsk Industrial Area and Kola Peninsula), Finland, USA, Australia, Botswana and South Africa.