Beluga Ships to sail North-East passage
Three of Bremen, Germany-based heavy-lift carrier Beluga’s 12,744 deadweight-ton F-class vessels will be transiting the chilly north-east passage along the northern shore of Russia this summer to deliver project cargo to the Siberian port of Novvy.
No commercial ships under any flag other than Russia’s have previously used this normally frozen-shut north-east sea-route, an 8,000-mile short cut between Europe and Asia, according to the New York Times science blog Dot Earth.
The ice-class vessels Beluga Family, Beluga Fraternity and Beluga Foresight have combinable crane capacities of 300 to 360 metric tons each and will be transporting equipment for a power plant to be built in Surgut, Siberia. The equipment, including two generators weighting more than 270 metric tons and 44 power plant modules weighing more than 100 tons apiece, will be transshipped to barge at Novvy.
The Beluga Family is now awaiting permission from the Russian government to enter the passage. Assuming that permission is given, the vessel is scheduled to arrive at Novvy on August 7. From there, the vessel will call Murmansk and Rotterdam.
The Beluga Fraternity departed Ulsan, South Korea on July 23 and this week was in Vladivostok awaiting clearance to enter the passage. Depending on the timing of clearances and official permissions, one of these two vessels will be the first Beluga vessel, and apparently the first non-Russian commercial vessel, to transit the entire north-east passage. The Beluga Foresight is scheduled to make the trip later this summer.
Beluga believes that the north-east passage offers “unmatched chances for efficient sea traffic” between Europe and Asia, said President and CEO Niels Stolberg. Due to global warming the north-east passage becomes mostly ice-free for a very short time during the summer. “The ambition to send a merchant vessel through the Northeast-Passage within the possible time frame mirrors Beluga Shipping’s corporate philosophy to go off the beaten tracks and implement innovations in products and procedures whenever reasonable. This is just such a chance to save bunker consumption and voyage time,” Stolberg said. Beluga had hoped to use the north-east passage last year but did not receive approval from the Russian government in time.
No commercial ships under any flag other than Russia’s have previously used this normally frozen-shut north-east sea-route, an 8,000-mile short cut between Europe and Asia, according to the New York Times science blog Dot Earth.
The ice-class vessels Beluga Family, Beluga Fraternity and Beluga Foresight have combinable crane capacities of 300 to 360 metric tons each and will be transporting equipment for a power plant to be built in Surgut, Siberia. The equipment, including two generators weighting more than 270 metric tons and 44 power plant modules weighing more than 100 tons apiece, will be transshipped to barge at Novvy.
The Beluga Family is now awaiting permission from the Russian government to enter the passage. Assuming that permission is given, the vessel is scheduled to arrive at Novvy on August 7. From there, the vessel will call Murmansk and Rotterdam.
The Beluga Fraternity departed Ulsan, South Korea on July 23 and this week was in Vladivostok awaiting clearance to enter the passage. Depending on the timing of clearances and official permissions, one of these two vessels will be the first Beluga vessel, and apparently the first non-Russian commercial vessel, to transit the entire north-east passage. The Beluga Foresight is scheduled to make the trip later this summer.
Beluga believes that the north-east passage offers “unmatched chances for efficient sea traffic” between Europe and Asia, said President and CEO Niels Stolberg. Due to global warming the north-east passage becomes mostly ice-free for a very short time during the summer. “The ambition to send a merchant vessel through the Northeast-Passage within the possible time frame mirrors Beluga Shipping’s corporate philosophy to go off the beaten tracks and implement innovations in products and procedures whenever reasonable. This is just such a chance to save bunker consumption and voyage time,” Stolberg said. Beluga had hoped to use the north-east passage last year but did not receive approval from the Russian government in time.