Beluga Ships Complete Northeast Passage

The Beluga multi-purpose heavy lift project carriers Fraternity and Foresight reached their Siberian destination of Novyy Port on Monday and have begun discharging the plant modules they carried from the Far East, through the Bering Strait and along the northern coast of Russia. Over the weekend the vessels transited the northernmost part of their route, the Vilkizki Strait, passing small icebergs, ice fields and ice blocks in a convoy with two Russian Atomflot icebreakers, the 50 let Pobedy and the Rossia.

Once discharge is complete, the ships will sail to Central Europe via Murmansk to deliver another 3,500 metric tons of cargo to Rotterdam. The two vessels will then be the first non-Russian commercial vessels to make it through the Northeast Passage from Asia to Europe.

The vessels left Korea on July 23 and July 28 and entered the Northern Sea Route after inspections at Vladivostok. After transiting the Bering Strait they met and convoyed with the Russian icebreakers.

“To transit the Northeast-Passage so well and professionally without incidents on the premiere is the result of our extremely accurate preparation, as well as the outstanding team work between our attentive captains, our reliable meteorologists and our engaged crew,” said Beluga President and CEO Niels Stolberg. The carrier is planning more Northeast Passage journeys for 2010, probably using new Super Heavy-lift P-class vessels that will be launched beginning in fall 2009.

Contact Janet Nodar at jcnodar@bellsouth.net.