First commercial transit of North-East-Passage

[Skybird]

Despite the coming ice age and growing ice levels at the poles, neither sun activty nor metaphysics have hindered two German merchants and two russian icebreakers to successfully transit the North-East-Passage, making them the first modern traders doing so.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8251914.stm

Both ships left South Korea in late July, negotiating the passage off north-eastern Siberia behind two Russian icebreakers.

"We are all very proud and delighted to be the first Western shipping company which has successfully transited the legendary North East Passage and delivered the sensitive cargo safely through this extraordinarily demanding sea area", said Beluga CEO Niels Stolberg.

The ships have been offloading some of their cargo. Beluga spokeswoman Verena Beckhusen told AP that the Beluga Fraternity had already left to continue its journey via Murmansk to the Dutch port of Rotterdam.

The Foresight's departure has been postponed until Saturday because of bad weather, she added.

But the once impenetrable ice that prevented ships travelling along the northern Russian coast has been retreating rapidly because of global warming in recent decades.

The passage became passable without ice breakers in 2005.