First-ever tanker crosses the Arctic without icebreaker ship
In a first, a Russian tanker has travelled through the northern sea route crossing the Artic in record 6.5 days without an icebreaker escort. The $300-million tanker, however, used its integral icebreaker to cross over one-metre-thick ice fields. It carried liquefied natural gas from Norway to South Korea in 19 days, about 30% quicker than the conventional route around Europe.