On Friday, 28 September 2018, Venta Maersk called the port of Saint Petersburg, Russia, after successfully completing a trial passage of the Northern Sea Route. Venta Maersk started her voyage on 22 August 2018 in the port of Vladivostok, Russia. The ship stopped in Vostochny Stevedoring Company and Busan, before passing through Bering Strait on 6 September 2018 on her way to Bremerhaven.
According to Maersk, the voyage went as planned and without specific incidents, as the vessel and all systems aboard performed well.
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However, the company noted that while the passage is feasible around this time of the year and marked by a lack of obstructive ice, ice conditions in the East Siberian Sea required assistance by icebreakers.
Maersk had taken different precautionary measures to make sure that the trial was done with the highest considerations for the safety of crew, cargo, environment, and vessel.
During the trial, the company was cooperating with the Northern Sea Route Administration and ice breaker companies, while the crew underwent special training and was joined by Northern Sea Route certified ice Pilots during the entire transit.
Nevertheless, Maersk noted that this voyage was a one-off trial aiming to gain operational experience in a new area and to test vessel systems:
Palle Laursen, Chief Technical Officer at Maersk, explained:
Currently, we do not see the Northern Sea Route as a viable commercial alternative to existing east-west routes. In general, we plan new services according to trading patterns, population centres and our customers demand.
