Maersk concludes trial passage of Northern Sea Route
On Friday, 28 September 2018, Venta Maersk called the port of Saint Petersburg, Russia, successfully completing a trial passage of the Northern Sea Route, Maersk says in a press release. Venta Maersk, one of Maersk Line’s new Baltic feeders, embarked on her voyage on 22 August 2018 in the port of Vladivostok, Russia. The route included further stops in Vostochny Stevedoring Company and Busan, before passing through Bering Strait on 6 September 2018 on her way to Bremerhaven.
“We are very happy to welcome back crew and vessel safe and sound after this unique voyage,” says Palle Laursen, Chief Technical Officer at Maersk. “The trial allowed us to gain exceptional operational experience, test vessel systems, crew capabilities and the functionality of the shore based support setup.”
The voyage went according to plan and without specific incidents. The vessel and all systems aboard performed well in the unfamiliar environment. While the passage is feasible around this time of the year and marked by a lack of obstructive ice, ice conditions in the East Siberian Sea required assistance by icebreakers.
Maersk had taken different precautionary measures to ensure that the trial was done with the highest considerations for the safety of crew, cargo, environment, and vessel. During the trial, Maersk has been in close and regular dialogue with the Northern Sea Route Administration and ice breaker companies. The crew underwent special training and was joined by Northern Sea Route certified ice Pilots during the entire transit.
Maersk underlines that this was a one-off trial designed to gain operational experience in a new area and to test vessel systems:
“Currently, we do not see the Northern Sea Route as a viable commercial alternative to existing east-west routes. In general, we plan new services according to trading patterns, population centres and our customers demand,” says Palle Laursen. “That said, we do follow the development of the Northern Sea Route. Today, the passage is only feasible for around three month a year which may change with time. Furthermore, we also must consider that ice-classed vessels are required to make the passage, which means an additional investment.”
Maersk Line’ s new Baltic feeders are among the world’s largest ice-class vessels designed specifically to operate in cold waters (down to -25 degrees C), where ice-class (stronger hull) is required to offer year-round operations. They have a nominal capacity of 3,596 TEU and is equipped with 600 reefer plugs. Venta Maersk is the fourth of seven sister vessels and was delivered on July 11, 2018. Her already delivered sister ships are deployed in the Sealand – A Maersk company (formerly known as Seago Line’s) Baltic feeder network serving Russia and calling St. Petersburg. They have sheltered forecastle deck for safe mooring operations in winter conditions and enclosed bridge wings for safe manoeuvring and harbour approach. Their propeller and rudder design has been optimised for lowest fuel consumption. In addition, the vessels use marine fuel which is fully compliant with the Emission Control Area (ECA) rules, established by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO). On her voyage from Busan to Bremerhaven, Venta Maersk carried 660 reefer containers.
A.P. Moller - Maersk is an integrated container logistics company working to connect and simplify its customers’ supply chains. As the global leader in shipping services, the company operates in 130 countries and employs roughly 76,000 people.
A.P. Moller - Maersk consists of Maersk Line, APM Terminals, Damco, Svitzer and Maersk Container Industry. The mission of these businesses is to enable and facilitate global supply chains and provide opportunities for our customers to trade globally.
