Nordic-Orion

The company that made the first commercial transit of the Northwest Passage plans to increase its shipments through the legendary waterway next year, suggesting such traffic is coming sooner than anyone anticipated. “We hope and expect to do it,” said Christian Bonfils of Nordic Bulk Carriers, the Danish shipper which owns the Nordic Orion. The vessel made history last September when it hauled 15,000 tonnes of coal to Finland from Vancouver through waters that were once impenetrable ice. It took four days less than it would have taken to traverse the Panama Canal, and its greater depths allowed the Orion to carry about 25 per cent more coal. Sailing through the passage saved the company about $200,000 and resulted in a nicely profitable voyage. “We had a very smooth voyage and not any major delays,” said Bonfils. “We’re very pleased about it.”

Sometime between Sunday and Monday evenings (Sept.22), Greenwich Mean Time, the bulk carrier Nordic Orion passed through the Northwest Passage and into Baffin Bay, sailing into history as it went. The ship – a 225-metre, ice-strengthened carrier loaded with B.C. coal bound for Finland – became the first bulk carrier to make the voyage, which has lured explorers for more than a century and has long been eyed as a commercial route. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/bulk-carrier-becomes-first-to-successfully-traverse-northwest-passage/article14516278/