Gebe Oldendorff Wraps Up Northern Sea Route Transit

MV Gebe Oldendorff, a bulk carrier owned by Germany-based dry bulk carrier owner and operator Oldendorff Carriers, has successfully completed its Northern Sea Route (NSR) passage.  

The voyage started on September 18 when the Panamax ship headed with holds full of cargo from Murmansk across the Barents Sea, the shipowner said on social media.

Making its way north east above Russia, the ship passed Bennet Island and entered the East Siberian Sea on September 26.

After 12 days sailing from the starting point in Murmansk to passing the exit point in the Bering Strait, the 97,000 cbm bulker safely wrapped up its NSR transit and was on its way to China as of September 30.

“This successful voyage … provided valuable information on the benefits and efficiency of using these routes in future,” Oldendorff Carriers said.

As explained, the company has saved 1,977 tons in CO2 emissions compared to sailing via the Suez Canal route. This equals to the average annual CO2 emissions of 439 cars.

Due to its numerous advantages, the NSR is expected to experience traffic growth in the coming period. About 80 million tons of goods is planned to be shipped annually via this sea route by 2024, Rosatom director said at the first working meeting of the NSR Public Council held in Vladivostok last month.

World Maritime News Staff