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NORTHEAST PASSAGE - AN UPDATE




BELUGA SHIPPING GMBH is a truly remarkable company. Many of you have accessed NAUTICAL LOG about their transit project of the Northeast Passage across the top of the Russian Federation.

Well as it happens just today we received an e-mail from Verena Beckhusen of their Public Relations Department updating the transits. The MS "Beluga Family" sailed from Antwerp to Murmansk and after clearance proceeded to Yamburg to discharge her heavy lift cargo. Once that is completed she returns to Murmansk and then Rotterdam. So she will have completed a western half-transit of the Northeast Passage from West to East and the return.


The MS "Beluga Fraternity" and MS "Beluga Foresight" have left Vladivostok with their cargo of heavy lifts, loaded in South Korea, and are now transiting the Northeast Passage. Heading westwards across the top of the Russian Federation bound for Novyy Port/Yamburg in the estuary of the river Ob leading southwards from the Kara Sea. As one can see from the Sea Routes map above there are two routes. One inshore which is the traditional route used by Russian vessels for decades. Now there is a second route more offshore that can, depending on ice conditions, be used by modern ice-classed vessels.

After completing discharge they will proceed to Murmansk and then to Rotterdam. So these two vessels will have made an extraordinary voyage from South Korea to Europe via the Northeast Passage of the Russian Federation, a complete transit from East to West.

Once again NAUTICAL LOG would like to thank Geschaftsfuhrender Gesellschafter Niels Stolberg and his Staff for their kindness in sending all this information. We wish the vessels and crews safe passage.

Good Watch.

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