The weather in port hedland.
A: The impact of global warming on the shipping value of the Arctic Ocean is a shortcut to Europe, Asia and North America. The melting of ice floes or ice sheets is conducive to navigation.
Reading materials:
Arctic Waterway —— "Unexpected Harvest" of Climate Warming
201March 18 0 1:30 Economic Information Daily
Since16th century, European countries have been dreaming of opening a convenient passage to the East through the Arctic Ocean. Due to the limitation of natural conditions, the Arctic waterway exploration flourished for a while, but it was finally silent because it did not have commercial shipping value.
With global warming, Arctic sea ice is melting rapidly. Some scientists optimistically predict that there will be ice-free summer years in the Arctic Ocean in the next 30 years, and it is possible to open up the "golden waterway" of the Arctic Ocean. The impact of the opening of the Arctic waterway on the whole world's marine transportation pattern, the rich resources in the Arctic Ocean region and the huge commercial benefits brought about by it have attracted worldwide attention. We hope that this group of manuscripts can provide readers who are concerned about the topic of Arctic waterway with multi-angle reference.
Arctic waterway: or the ninth ocean route in China.
With the opening of the Arctic waterway, it is expected to turn from a dream into a reality. At present, the "Arctic waterway navigation movement" is emerging internationally, and more and more countries and companies are eager to open the Arctic waterway. Experts predict that once the "Arctic Passage" is completed, it will surely become a new "maritime traffic artery" connecting Asia, Europe and North America.
In the summer of 2009, two cargo ships "Youai" and "Yuanjing" of German brug Shipping Company set off from South Korea and sailed north without a Russian icebreaker. After passing through Vladivostok, Russia, they continued northward, successfully crossed the legendary "Northeast Passage" of the Arctic Ocean, successfully arrived at Yongbao Port in Siberia, Russia, and finally arrived at Rotterdam Port in the Netherlands.
It is generally believed in the international shipping industry that this voyage of German brug Shipping Company is of great significance in the history of Arctic shipping, and to some extent, it announced the birth of a new commercial route.
Rewrite the world ocean transportation pattern
At present, global maritime navigation can only connect the Pacific Ocean (5.97, 0.00, 0.00%) and the Atlantic Ocean (65,438+00.08, 0.25, 2.54%) through Panama Canal or Suez Canal, and even the Cape of Good Hope in southern Africa needs to be bypassed. Compared with these routes, once the Arctic waterway is opened, it will greatly shorten the voyage and bring huge commercial and economic benefits. For example, it takes 29 days for a Japanese container to sail from Yokohama to Rotterdam Port in the Netherlands via the Cape of Good Hope in Africa, and 22 days if it passes through the Straits of Malacca and Suez Canal in Singapore. However, if the same ship uses the Arctic route, it only takes 15 days to arrive.
In addition, once the Arctic waterway is opened, it can also alleviate the increasingly serious congestion in the Straits of Malacca and the Suez Canal and avoid the increasingly rampant threat of Somali pirates.
Professor Lu from Jiangnan Academy of Social Sciences believes that the opening of the Arctic waterway will not only directly change the original world marine transportation pattern, but also enhance the overall strategic position of the Arctic region. The new route will promote the economic development along the route, give birth to some new residential areas, promote the expansion of existing ports and cities, and the geopolitical influence of the route through the country will also be enhanced.
At the same time, the new route will disperse some trade goods in the original channel, reduce the weight and status of the original global shipping line, and the influence and status of the country where the route is located will also be affected. The strategic position of the middle way in the earth has declined, and the strategic position of the Arctic region has risen. This change will lead to the shift of the world's center of gravity to the north and change the world pattern to some extent.
With the Arctic region becoming an international geopolitical hotspot, the international disputes about the Arctic waterway are becoming increasingly fierce. Guo Peiqing, an associate professor at China Ocean University, believes that the dispute over the northeast waterway mainly occurs between Russia and the United States, the European Union and other countries, while the dispute over the northwest waterway mainly occurs between the United States and Canada.
Russia insists on the control of the Arctic northeast waterway, while the European Union, the United States and Japan put forward the right of innocent passage and free passage for individual segments. Canada claims that the Northwest Passage belongs to Canada's internal waters, while the United States insists that the Northwest Passage belongs to the international waterway.
It is of great strategic significance to our country.
As a country close to the Arctic, once the Arctic "golden waterway" is opened, it is of great significance to our country.
According to Zhang Xia, deputy director of China Strategic Polar Research Institute, at present, shipping bears more than 90% of China's international trade and transportation. China's foreign trade has eight ocean-going routes, namely, China-Red Sea route, China-East Africa route, China-West Africa route, China-Mediterranean route, China-Western Europe route, China-Northern Europe route, Baltic Sea route, China-North America route and China-Central and South America route.
If the Arctic waterway is successfully opened, two more convenient routes to Europe and North America will be added to China's existing two main ocean routes, which will not only reduce the cost of maritime transportation, but also reduce and share the risks brought by passing through politically sensitive areas such as the Straits of Malacca, Panama Canal, Somali waters and Suez Canal, and help to open up new overseas resources and energy procurement sites in China.
At present, China's main oil importing areas are the Middle East, Africa, Russian Federation and South America. The rich resources in the Arctic are closer to China than Africa and South America. Once the Arctic waterway is fully opened, it will greatly increase its strategic position as an overseas purchasing destination of energy and raw materials in China.
The Arctic region is rich in oil and gas resources and is known as the "second Middle East". According to the latest estimate completed by the US Geological Survey in 2008, the unproven oil reserves in the Arctic region reach 90 billion barrels, the natural gas is 47 trillion cubic meters, and the combustible ice is 44 billion barrels, which is comparable to the strategic reserve warehouse of oil and gas resources in the Middle East.
The average depth of the Arctic Ocean is the shallowest in the world, and more than half of the continental shelf area is less than 50 meters deep, which provides convenience for energy development. The coast of the Arctic Ocean may become one of the major oil and gas producing areas in the world. The Arctic region is rich in coal resources and excellent in coal quality. According to geologists' estimation, the total reserves are about 654.38 billion tons, exceeding the total proven coal resources in the world.
The commercial value of Arctic waterway to China's overseas trade is also very obvious. According to experts' research, the voyage from the coastal port of China to the east coast of North America is about 2,000 to 3,500 nautical miles shorter than the traditional route of the Panama Canal. The voyage to European ports has been greatly shortened. The voyage from the port north of Shanghai to the ports of Western Europe, North Sea and Baltic Sea is 25% to 55% shorter than the traditional route.
In addition, the opening of the Arctic waterway will greatly narrow the distance between China and Europe, North America and other markets, lead to changes in international division of labor and industrial layout, and then affect the industrial division of labor and strategic layout of economic development in China coastal areas.
South Korea actively seeks the interests of the "Arctic waterway"
At present, the Korean government, universities and professional research institutions are actively cooperating to seek their own interests in the Arctic waterway. South Korea's first icebreaker, Oceanwide, is scheduled to go to the Arctic to carry out an investigation mission in September this year.
It is reported that Busan is the closest city in South Korea to Europe. Once the Arctic waterway is opened, it will become the most favorable port city in Korea, which will have a great impact on the Korean economy. At present, the voyage from Busan to Rotterdam via Suez Canal is 20100km (about 24 days). After the opening of the Arctic Channel, the voyage from Busan to Rotterdam via the Arctic Channel will be shortened to12,700 km (about 14 days), greatly reducing the cost of shipping and logistics.
At the end of last year, Korea Ocean University in Busan established the Arctic Waterway Research Center. Korean marine research institutions, commercial shipping companies and some experts also formed the Arctic Waterway Agreement Organization to jointly study the opening of the Arctic Waterway and Busan development strategy. Kim Jisoo, a professor at Korea Ocean University, has publicly stated: "If South Korea can effectively use the Arctic waterway, South Korea will have a more competitive advantage in freight transportation than Xingang, which will bring huge economic benefits to South Korea's shipbuilding industry and other related industries."
South Korea's first polar icebreaker, Oceanwide, was officially launched at the end of last year and made its maiden voyage to the South Pole. "Oceanwide" is a 6,950-ton icebreaker with a total investment of over 65.438+0004 billion won (about 1 billion US dollars). It is equipped with automatic navigation and autopilot equipment and all-weather satellite communication equipment.
There are two ships on the "Oceanwide", with a maximum power of 6,800 horsepower, which is three to four times that of the same class. The maximum endurance is that it can sail continuously for 70 days, about 20,000 nautical miles (37,000 kilometers). In addition, the "Oceanwide" has very good maneuverability and can turn 360 degrees in situ. In order to meet the special needs of polar navigation, the bow is designed into a sharp "ice knife" shape, which can break the ice. The steel plate is 39. 5cm thick, twice as thick as the thickest ship in Korea, Dokdo (20cm thick). The surface of the ship is also coated with a special material, which makes the whole ship as hard as a stone.
"Oceanwide" has installed more than 60 kinds of cutting-edge experimental detection equipment, which can meet the needs of various polar research, including detecting seabed topography and geological structure with sound waves and analyzing seabed resources. The most expensive equipment is the "multi-frequency sound wave detector", which can emit sound waves from multiple angles and display three-dimensional images of the seabed. South Korea spent 2.7 billion won just importing this kind of equipment.
Experts suggest that China should strengthen the strategic research of "Arctic Shipping Center".
A few days ago, at the relevant seminar held by China Polar Research Institute, experts suggested that relying on China's strong international trade position and favorable geographical position close to the core trade zone of the Arctic, the relevant state departments should strengthen the strategic research of the Arctic shipping center, make full use of the opportunity of the gradual maturity of the Arctic waterway, and improve the layout of China International Shipping Center.
/kloc-From the end of 0/9 to the 1970s, the World Trade Center experienced the transfer from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic, and from the Atlantic to the Pacific, thus forming three major trade centers in Western Europe, North America and East Asia. At the same time, the layout of international shipping centers has gone through three stages: London, new york and Tokyo.
Since the 1980s, with the further transfer of the world trade center to the Pacific region, many world economic and trade cities have emerged in the Pacific Rim, such as Los Angeles, Hong Kong, Singapore, Kobe, Osaka, Kaohsiung and Busan, and many of these cities have formed or are forming new international shipping centers.
Experts believe that at present, China is gradually becoming a world trading power, at the core of East Asian trade, and its influence on the world economy is gradually increasing. Once the Arctic waterway is opened, it will become a new sea passage connecting East Asia, North America and Western Europe, and in the process of forming this new shipping center, China occupies a favorable position.
Since the mid-1990s, the construction of China's international shipping center has made remarkable progress, forming the basic framework of three international shipping centers: South, North and China. That is, the Hong Kong International Shipping Center in the south, with Hong Kong as the center and Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Pearl River Delta ports as the support; Shanghai international shipping center in central China, with Shanghai as the center and Jiangsu and Zhejiang as the two wings; Dalian Northeast Asia International Shipping Center in the north takes Dalian as the center and Yingkou, Jinzhou and Dandong as its two wings. The establishment of these three shipping centers has laid the main framework for the overall layout of China's coastal ports, with 20 main hub ports as the backbone, regional important ports as the auxiliary, and local small and medium-sized ports as the supplement.
Experts believe that although China has made great achievements in building an international shipping center, there is still room for further study and improvement in the overall layout from the perspective of comprehensive, coordinated and sustainable Scientific Outlook on Development. With the opening of the Arctic waterway, China should strengthen the strategic research of the Arctic shipping center and improve the overall layout of the China International Shipping Center.
Arctic Waterway: Dreams and Possibilities
Since16th century, European countries have been dreaming of opening a convenient passage to the mysterious and rich East through the Arctic Ocean. However, due to the blocking of thick icebergs and thick sea ice in the Arctic Ocean, the exploration of the Arctic waterway flourished for a period of time, but it was silent for a long time because it did not have commercial shipping value.
Nowadays, with global warming and the accelerated melting of Arctic sea ice, the coveted "golden waterway" of the Arctic Ocean is expected to open in the near future.
According to the latest report of American Science magazine, global warming has reversed the natural cooling trend of the Arctic, and the temperature in the Arctic is currently at the highest level in the past 2000 years. Observations show that spring in the Arctic has arrived earlier and is warmer. Warm autumn lasts longer; In summer, the average sea ice temperature rises every 10 years 1.22 degrees, and the sea ice melting season is advanced every ten years 10- 17 days.
At present, the average ground temperature in the Arctic region is twice the global average temperature. The report of the Arctic Scientific Committee (2004) predicts that the temperature in the Arctic will rise by 4-7℃ in the next century. According to the fourth climate change assessment report of IPC C, the temperature in the middle and high latitudes of the northern hemisphere will increase the most in the future 100, and the temperature in the Arctic will increase by 3℃ in the next 80 years. This temperature rise is enough to bring about great changes.
The warming of the Arctic and the warming of the Arctic Ocean make the Arctic sea ice decrease rapidly. According to a C IA (Arctic Climate Impact Assessment) report, the sea ice area in the Arctic began to decrease about 50 years ago, but in the last 20-30 years, the rate of decrease has increased, and this trend is most obvious in summer. Scientists predict that in 20 10, the average annual area of arctic sea ice will decrease by about 10-50%. The latest climate prediction results also show that the melting rate of Arctic sea ice in the future will be about four times as fast as it is now.
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Arctic channel refers to the sea channel that passes through the Arctic Ocean and connects the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean.
/kloc-In the 6th century, because the routes around Africa and the southern tip of Latin America were monopolized by Portugal and Spain, explorers from western Europe and northern Europe hoped to find a new route across the Arctic Ocean from the North Atlantic and establish direct trade relations with the rich East, and thus launched a navigation channel exploration for more than two centuries.
At present, the Arctic waterway referred to by people mainly includes "Northeast Waterway" and "Northwest Waterway".
The northeast waterway, also known as the "North Sea Waterway", is located in the offshore waters of the Arctic Ocean on the northern coast of Russia. Starting from northern Europe, we will cross the Barents Sea, Kara Sea, Laptev Sea, Novosibirsk Sea and Chukchi Sea in the Arctic Ocean eastward until the Bering Strait. On the northeast waterway, there are as many as 58 straits connecting the five major sea areas, the most important of which is 10.
Most of the Northwest Passage is located in the Canadian Arctic Islands, starting from the Bering Strait, heading east along the northern coast of Alaska, passing through the Canadian Arctic Islands, and reaching davis strait. When Beaufort Sea enters Canadian Arctic Islands, this route is divided into two main branches, one of which passes through Amundsen Bay, Dove Union Strait and Victoria Strait, and reaches lancaster sound. One crossed the McClure Strait, Viscount Melville Strait and Barrow Strait to reach lancaster sound.
In addition, the Arctic Waterway theoretically has a route through the Arctic. This route starts from the Bering Strait, does not go along the coast of Russia or North America, and directly passes through the central area of the Arctic Ocean to reach the Greenland Sea or the Norwegian Sea. Because the central area of the Arctic Ocean is covered by sea ice accumulated for many years, the sea ice is the densest and thickest, and this route is expected to be finally opened and utilized.