The number of ships using the Arctic route reaches an all-time high... Caused by thaw and geopolitical risks

Due to the prolonged war in the Middle East and melting ice caused by global warming, shipping volume passing through the Arctic has reached an all-time high.

According to Lloyd's List Intelligence, a maritime information specialist, the number of sailings through the Arctic Ocean route reached 133 last month, more than four times more than in 2022, and a 46% increase compared to August, the British Financial Times (FT) reported on the 2nd (local time).

This is the result of ship owners seeking alternative routes as sea ice in the Arctic Ocean has become easier due to sea ice, and due to safety concerns in maritime strategic points such as the Strait of Hormuz.

Almost half of the ships passing through the Arctic Ocean were Russian-flagged, and Chinese ships seeking an alternative route to Europe to the Middle East also used this route.

Liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers frequently use this route to travel to gas plants in Russia, but it is noteworthy that the traffic volume of bulk carriers, which mainly transport raw materials such as grain and iron ore, has also increased.

The number of bulk carriers passing through this route increased from 18 in August to 29 in September.

“As governments and shipping companies increasingly look for alternative routes that are less exposed to geopolitical disruption, it will be interesting to see how the use of these routes develops,” said Bridget Diakun, head of maritime intelligence at Reut List Intelligence.

The Arctic Ocean has economic advantages.

Last month, the Chinese container ship 'Dubai Tower' headed from Qingdao, China to the Port of Felixstowe, England via the North Pole. It would take at least 40 days to travel via the Suez Canal or the Cape of Good Hope in Africa, but this time it arrived in 24 days.

September is generally the busiest time on the Arctic Ocean route. At this time, the ice thickness is the shallowest, so even ships without icebreaking capabilities can pass through.

According to researchers at the University of Southampton, Arctic sea ice recorded the largest winter decline in a single year since satellite observations began in 2025, and has remained at historic lows ever since.

The insurance industry and environmental groups are warning that large-scale accidents could occur if the number of ships using this route increases. This is because the Arctic region lacks the capacity to clean up pollutants caused by search and rescue and accidents.

In fact, a large-scale crude oil spill from a very large oil tanker that occurred off the coast of Alaska in 1989 took at least four years to clean up. Nonetheless, residue from the accident still remains on nearby beaches.

“Russia and China are not the only countries that will use this route. Every company that passes through this route in the future will have an impact on the Arctic,” said Romain Troubillet, director of the Tara Ocean Foundation, a French marine environment research group. “If we buy goods transported through this route, we are contributing to that risk.”

Unpredictable weather conditions in the Arctic can be a potential cause of accidents.

Tom Mellor, head of technical cooperation at the UK Hydrographic Office, which provides geospatial information to ships, says navigational equipment may not work properly in extremely high latitudes such as the Arctic.

“As you get closer to the North Pole, the curvature of the Earth becomes much greater, so you need a different way to accurately display location information on charts,” he said. “If you don’t have a proper system to display charts accurately, I wouldn’t want to be on a ship like that.”