Arctic shipping passage close to opening: Scientists

PARIS — The possibility of an arctic shipping lane could be a reality one day soon, according to the European Space Agency, which reported this week that satellite photos show arctic ice has shrunk to the lowest level on record.

Associated Press reports that the ESA has determined that an ice-free passage is opening along northern Canada, Alaska and Greenland.

Impassible in modern times, the so-called Northwest Passage could one day be the shortest shipping link between North American, European, and Asian markets.

According to experts, the unexplored passage could trim thousands of marine miles — and costs — for shippers and importers. The route is said to be 7,000 kilometres shorter than the 23,000-kilometre Panama Canal route. It is also shorter than the 21,000-kilometre Suez Canal route to Asia.

The retreat rate of ice suggests the passage could fully open sooner than expected, says ESA, but the agency did not say when that might be, according to AP.

Russia, Canada, the United States, as well as Norway and Denmark are countries vying to lay claim to the territory, which is said to contain about 25 percent of world’s untapped oil and gas resources.

The race heated up this summer, when Russia planted its national flag under the North Pole, drawing criticism from U.S. and Canadian authorities.

Environmentalists have raised concerns that shipping traffic in the region would lead to increased pollution and risks of oil spills that could harm wildlife. Others point out, though, that less shipping miles leads to a reduction of fuel burned, hence less global emissions.

— with files from Associated Press