Russian oil tankers seized at the North Pole; Why did the melting of the ice not pave the sea route of Russia to China?

Russian oil tankers seized at the North Pole; Why did the melting of the ice not pave the sea route of Russia to China?

In July of this year, several Russian-sanctioned oil tankers were caught in the icy waters of the Arctic and forced to anchor.

At a distance of about 1,300 kilometers north of the Arctic Circle, they had to wait for days for the arrival of two nuclear icebreakers that went to the area to help them.

These oil tankers were seized in the Wilkitsky Strait; A 55-kilometer-wide passage between the northern shores of Siberia and Bolshevik Island, which is part of Russia's "Northern Sea Route" to China.

The Kremlin has invested heavily in the development of this route, hoping that the retreat of Arctic ice due to climate change will open up a new sea route that was not possible before.

This route is also far from the range of Ukrainian drone attacks and the possibility of seizing oil tankers known as Russia's "shadow fleet" by the naval forces of European countries. The Shadow Fleet refers to the network of oil tankers that Russia uses to transport oil, specifically to circumvent Western restrictions and sanctions.

Russia's exports of crude oil and liquefied natural gas from the Northern Sea Route hit a new high this year. However, the oil tankers stuck in the Wilkitsky Strait show that the opening of Arctic waters to ships does not necessarily mean that shipping becomes easier.

"This incident is a good example of the same point that we have emphasized many times," Ksenia Vakhrushapa, director of the Arctic project at the Bellona Environmental Organization, based in Lithuania, told Radio Free Europe/Radio Release. Less ice does not necessarily mean easier navigation.

Read the full version of this report on Radio Perda's website.

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