cross-posted from: https://lemmy.zip/post/50963139
The Istanbul Bridge’s maiden voyage, originally expected to take 18 days, was delayed by two days due to a storm off the coast of Norway but the ship still reached Europe earlier than the 40 to 50 days it takes freighters going through the Suez Canal or around the Cape of Good Hope.
The new Northern Sea Route, running entirely through Arctic waters and within Russia’s exclusive economic zone, can now be navigated by ships due to global warming.
Yeah, as the Clean Arctic Alliance recently said in response to China’s new containership route through the Arctic:
An increase in shipping in the Arctic will lead to
- an increase in shipping’s global climate impact due to black carbon emissions – which have a disproportionately higher impact when emitted in the Arctic,
- an increase in disturbance to wildlife and to communities dependent on marine resources due to increased ship pollution including underwater noise in a comparatively quiet ocean, and
- an increase in the risk of damaging oil spills.
As one report said, as the Arctic ice vanishes, maritime traffic boom fuels the climate crisis.