Page "Suez Canal" Paragraph 57

In recent years, the shrinking Arctic sea ice has also made the Northern Sea Route viable for commercial cargo ships plying between Europe and East Asia during a six-to-eight week window in the summer months, shaving off thousands of miles from the voyage compared to the Suez Canal.

According to polar climate researchers, as the extent of the Arctic summer ice pack recedes, the route will become passable without the help of icebreakers for a greater period each summer.