1st Chinese ship crosses Arctic Ocean
A Chinese cargo ship crossed the Arctic Ocean for the first
time reaching Rotterdam in the Netherlands on
Tuesday. The voyage is regarded by some shipping experts as an audacious feat
and has opened up a new sea route for China. The new route opened up after
global warming made it possible to travel over parts of the usually frozen
Arctic Ocean. The voyage by the ship 'Yong Sheng' took two weeks less than the
45 days it takes for a ship from China going to Europe using the conventional Suez Canal and Malacca
Straits routes. The
Arctic Council has given observer status to some countries including
India, China, Singapore, South Korea, Japan and the
European Union. Ships from Japan and South Korea have already traversed the
Arctic sea route. China has been desperately looking for alternative sea routes
to reduce its dependence on the increasingly risky and congested Malacca route.
It has been heavily assisting Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Pakistan with finance and
port construction in its quest for new sea routes.
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