2 German cargo ships pass through 'Arctic Passage'

[FarCenter]

Source: Yahoo, Associated Press

FRANKFURT – Two German merchant ships have traversed the fabled Northeast Passage after global warming and melting ice opened a route from South Korea along Russia's Arctic coast to Siberia.

Now the German-owned ships are poised to complete their journey through the cold waters where icebergs abound, heading for Rotterdam in the Netherlands with 3,500 tons of construction parts.

The merchant ships MV Beluga Fraternity and MV Beluga Foresight arrived this week in Yamburg, Siberia, their owner Beluga Shipping GmbH said Friday. They traveled from Ulsan, South Korea, in late July to Siberia by way of the Northeast Passage, a sea lane that, in years past, was avoided because of its heavy ice floes.

Scientists report that the Arctic Ocean ice cap has been shrinking to unprecedented levels in recent summers, because of global warming, opening up many passages that were ice-choked in earlier times.


Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090911/ap_on_re_eu/eu_germany_arctic_passage

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This is the first transit of the Northern Passage by ordinary commercial vessels, which are also not Russian.

[DontTreadOnMe]

1. Global Warming is a liberal hoax...

Rush Limpballs told me so...

[Richard D]

2. They might change their tune now

to global warming is real (of course it's not human caused!) and it's good. Look at all the fuel and money that will be saved with the new shipping route opening up.

[NecklyTyler]

3. Next comes Arctic Oil exploration. n/t

[Delphinus]

6. I'm afraid you're right.

This is something the 'pubs have been praying for since 2004 (or before).

[Control-Z]

4. had an

argument discussion about global warming today. The future ex husband told me that man has nothing to do with it - and that it had already reversed itself. All a natural cycle.

[ConcernedCanuk]

5. LOL - "The future ex husband "

.
.
.

:thumbsup:

Go GIRL!!!

still :rofl:

[georgian style]

7. This should be front-page news everywhere

But in our world dominated by corporate hacks, don't hold your breath.

[Jack_DeLeon]

8. I need to buy me some beachfront property in Canada...

or what will be beachfront property when most of the ice melts and the waters rise.

[annm4peace]

9. doesn't this make the ice caps shrink even faster?

I wondered maybe this all the traffic both trucks and ships. In the artic and Alaska.. doesn't that make the caps melt faster?

Shouldn't all the ships be banned from the area ?