Northwest Passage open again
Sep. 2nd, 2008 05:40 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
andygatesSo say the BBC - "open to ordinary shipping". That's only twice in recorded history, 2007 and 2008 (Scientific American). Time for the next stage in that particular dance: Canada has a moneyspinner if it can convince the world that the Passage is theirs; generally it's considered international waters but Canada's PM is having a go at establishing control over vessels. This is just the beginning of the politics of the ice-free North: just wait until they launch the first oil rig.
The Passage has been navigated before, by a variety of vessels - notably the icebreaker supertanker Manhattan and shallow-draught boats. When Amundsen did it, it was in a shallow-draft, ice-armoured motor sloop (Gjøa) and he was a Nordic ninja. None of these are "ordinary shipping". This is new.
The Passage has been navigated before, by a variety of vessels - notably the icebreaker supertanker Manhattan and shallow-draught boats. When Amundsen did it, it was in a shallow-draft, ice-armoured motor sloop (Gjøa) and he was a Nordic ninja. None of these are "ordinary shipping". This is new.
