Ship laden with Arctic nickel on historic Northwest Passage voyage

Fednav, Canada’s largest ocean-going dry-bulk shipowning and chartering group, has sent the Nunavik, its most modern icebreaking ship on a historic voyage.

According to the 70-year old shipping company the Nunavik will be the first vessel to carry a cargo of Arctic origins the full length of Canada’s Northwest Passage from Baffin Bay through the Bering Straight.

The ship is loaded with a cargo of nickel concentrate from Nunavik’s Deception Bay destined for the port of Bayuquan, northern China.

With its Polar Class designation, the Nunavik is capable of independent operations in harsh arctic conditions, says Montreal-based Fednav which operates the world’s largest fleet of ice-class bulk carriers.

Now into day 15 fifteen of the voyage, you can follow the Nunavik as it traces a line across the top of the world here.

It hasn’t always been plain sailing, here’s Tim Keane, Fednav’s Senior Manager, Arctic Operations and Projects, describing day 3:

Source: Fednav

It’s not only cargo shippers that see opportunity in the Arctic.

The Crystal Serenity hopes to become the very first luxury ship to ever traverse the Northwest Passage with a 32-day cruise planned for August-September 2016.