Moscow's black oil in the white Arctic

Over the last three years, Russia has invested almost one and a half billion dollars in the development of the Northern Sea Route. The goal is to increase traffic from the current 38 million tonnes to 220 million by 2035. However, the extreme weather conditions, the archaic ships and, above all, the toxic fuel used make this ambitious project a decidedly risky venture.

Moscow (AsiaNews) - The increasingly rapid thawing of Arctic ice has led to ever-increasing traffic of cargo ships, fishing boats and tourists. Russia considers the Northern Sea Route (SMP) to be a crucial transit corridor for the future, allowing the country to strengthen its role in international trade, especially after being cut off from the traditional continental corridor between China and Europe due to sanctions for the invasion of Ukraine.

Over the last three years, 138 billion roubles, almost one and a half billion dollars, have been invested in the development of the NSR. However, the extreme weather conditions, the now archaic ships and, above all, the toxic fuel used are turning this ambitious project into a decidedly risky venture. The websites Arktida and Novaja Gazeta have attempted to clarify the extent to which this could lead to an ecological disaster.

On 13 October, the Chinese cargo ship Istanbul Bridge docked at Felixstowe, the main British port on the North Sea coast, a historic event that made it possible to travel the northernmost route in 20 days, twice as fast as the usual route from the south through the Suez Canal. The ship's captain, Chun Desheng, said that “it was the most fascinating journey in the 18 years I have been doing this job”, adding that he was truly amazed at how it was possible to complete the entire journey, for which preparations had begun three years earlier, renovating the ship itself and the entire crew. The cargo consisted of solar panels, lithium-ion batteries and electric vehicles, destined for the European market for the green energy transition, with stops in Germany, Poland and the Netherlands before reaching the United Kingdom.

The first Chinese ship arrived in Europe from the Arctic in 2013, but it was only an exploratory voyage. Now, regular traffic through Russia's northern waters could begin, ushering in a new era of trade relations, even taking into account the political and military controversies between East and West. Permission from Moscow is required to cross these areas of the Arctic Ocean, and the Chinese company Sea Legend is seeking to conclude agreements for a highly advantageous regular service. However, the Istanbul Bridge arrived two days behind schedule, due to storms near the coast of Norway, and there are certainly plenty of problems to deal with, not only in terms of weather conditions.

Russian ships sailing Arctic routes do not carry futuristic goods like their Chinese counterparts, but transport traditional extractive fuels, such as coal and oil. In 2024, 86% of Russian cargo consisted of coal, oil, natural liquid gas, gas condensates and petroleum products, and it is precisely the burning of fossil fuels that is the primary cause of the climate crisis and the melting of sea ice in the Arctic. The retreat of glaciers threatens the survival of polar bears and seals and accelerates the warming of the entire planet, but the Russian authorities view these phenomena positively, expanding the shipping route and allowing access to additional fossil fuel reserves.

In 2024, Russian traffic on these routes exceeded 38 million tonnes, with a 20% increase in 2025, and the intention to reach 220 million tonnes in 2035. The western part of the White Sea, the Kara Sea and the Barents Sea are covered with ice for between 5 and 8 months a year, and moving eastwards, the period of glaciation can last a whole year, despite all the climate changes, creating “considerable difficulties”, as stated by the Russian agency Rosgidromet, which are often completely unpredictable. There is no shortage of navigation problems and accidents, and the Russians' old-fashioned ships struggle to cope with these difficulties, releasing huge quantities of mazut, a heavy fuel oil, in various circumstances, which when mixed or broken down is transformed into more conventional petrochemical products, such as diesel. However, the Russians mostly use it in its raw state, as was the case for heating homes during the Soviet era, making the pristine ice and snow of the Arctic increasingly dirty and black.