ABS, a leading provider of global maritime classification services, with Headquarters in Houston, on 29th January released its Navigating the Northern Sea Route Advisory to support shipowners and operators intending to transit the increasingly popular commercial shipping routes through the Arctic seas.

This comprehensive advisory, which was developed with assistance from Russia’s Central Marine Research and Design Institute, provides shipowners with the information they need to apply for permits and to identify the possible technical and operational risks that could arise when trading in some of the world’s most challenging commercial shipping environments.

ABS classed vessels able to navigate the Northern Sea Route

Trading through the NSR has the potential to reduce the typical transit times between Japan and Rotterdam by as much as 3,400 miles – or ten days – compared to the traditional route via the Suez Canal.