Once hailed as the next frontier for global shipping, the Arctic’s unpredictable weather and sparse population mean it’s unlikely to become the next frontier for global container shipping, even if melting sea ice makes its waterways more easily navigable.Click on the image to see to see full size
Russian, American and Scandinavian experts told Bloomberg BNA that despite the hopes of some countries and international companies that the Northwest Passage would provide a speedy commercial shipping route through North American waters, Arctic shipping lanes will only be able to sustain small-scale destinational traffic. This makes discussions of “Arctic competition” somewhat unfounded, said Brookings Foreign Policy Fellow Tim Boersma.
Recent reports that North America’s only deepwater Arctic port is closing come as the latest sign that the Arctic may not be a viable economic investment for many countries. However, the region is likely to remain an important geo-strategic space for the U.S., its allies and adversaries.
Canada’s Port of Churchill in northern Manitoba was once looked to as the site of future cooperation with Russia. Reports at the end of July, however, said that workers there had been given two weeks notice and the port would cease activity only a month into its short season. From July to November the port dealt with grain shipments, and while it was only operational five months out of the year, its closing leaves both Canada and the U.S. without a northern deep water port.
