Maersk’s new ice class container vessel, Venta Maersk, embarked on a trial journey from the Russian far eastern port of Vladivostok in late August, completing the Arctic route in five weeks.
“We are carrying out a one-off trial passage of the Northern Sea Route from East to West,” said Janina von Spalding, a spokeswoman for the world’s biggest shipping company.
The vessel earlier made stops at Russia’s Vostochny Port and Busan in South Korea before passing through the Bering Strait and Germany’s Bremerhaven and finally entering Saint Petersburg.
The ship carrying 3,600 containers and designed to operate in extreme weather conditions was assisted by nuclear icebreakers.
Maersk said the one-off trial crossing presented a “unique opportunity to gain operational experience in a new area and to test vessel systems and crew capabilities”.
The company stressed however it “currently does not see the Northern Sea Route as a viable commercial alternative to existing east-west routes”.
Read more on The Local.
