oli wrote:Oh lol-enzo, does your positivization-deluzion know no bounds?...
Lorenzo's point is completely valid. I wonder if the Nicaraguan Grand Canal investors realize that their big ditch may be rendered pretty much unnecessary, at least for traffic between Europe and Asia, by the time they get it dug.
shakespear1 wrote:Canada knows the importance of the future Polar Route and is asserting its rights in the Northern Regions of its country. Any guesses who doesn't like this?
shakespear1 wrote:Canada knows the importance of the future Polar Route and is asserting its rights in the Northern Regions of its country. Any guesses who doesn't like this?
Leanan wrote:We don't believe in global warming, you understand, but we are nevertheless arguing with Canada over who controls the Northwest passage when...er...if global warming ever opens it up:
As ice melts, debate over Northwest Passage heats7,900 miles vs. 12,600 miles
A reliably ice-free Northwest Passage could be a far shorter alternative to the Panama Canal. A 12,600-nautical-mile trip from Europe to Asia via the Panama Canal would be 7,900 nautical miles using the Northwest Passage. That would save hundreds of thousands of dollars for shipping companies.
"People are looking for new ways to get across the North American continent," says Garrett Brass, executive director of the U.S. Arctic Research Commission in Arlington, Va. "It would be a very attractive way to move Alaskan oil to the East Coast."
The Navy thinks the Northwest passage could be a viable shipping route within ten years, at least for part of the year.
And this does not include marine fuel costs, which rose from an average $295 per tonne at the beginning of 2007 to more than $500 per tonne in November. Fuel today accounts for 50-60 per cent of total transpacific sailing costs.
Alfred Tennyson wrote:We are not now that strength which in old days
Moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are;
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.
Pablo2079 wrote:The comparison to the Strait of Hormuz or the Strait of Malacca is flawed in that Canada has land on both sides of the passage. I believe Canada has a valid claim, but it will be interesting to see how this plays out.
Nickel wrote:Pablo2079 wrote:The comparison to the Strait of Hormuz or the Strait of Malacca is flawed in that Canada has land on both sides of the passage. I believe Canada has a valid claim, but it will be interesting to see how this plays out.
No question of it; long stretches of the passage in the east are only about 40 miles wide; in the west, they're far narrower, with both shores visible. If the straits between the Hawaiian islands aren't international, then the Northwest Passage certainly isn't.
Alfred Tennyson wrote:We are not now that strength which in old days
Moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are;
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.
ROCKMAN wrote:Actually Nickle in the past AL crude has been sold to Japan.
Tanada wrote:I think the whole thing will ultimately be resolved in favor of Canada because both logic and international law are on their side. Once the ice cap pulls north of the islands however Canada won't be able to make the same claims, passing in the open sea beyond a shore is an entirely different matter than passing through a strait between two pieces of land. IMO if Canada were smart they would be offering passage liscences to shipping companies right now for 2009, misbehave in 2009 and you loose the right to purchase a passage liscence in later years.
Nickel wrote:ROCKMAN wrote:Actually Nickle in the past AL crude has been sold to Japan.
Well, if that's gotta go through the Northwest Passage, then someone in the planning department needs to be held back a year.
Alfred Tennyson wrote:We are not now that strength which in old days
Moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are;
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.
Tanada wrote:Nickel wrote:ROCKMAN wrote:Actually Nickle in the past AL crude has been sold to Japan.
Well, if that's gotta go through the Northwest Passage, then someone in the planning department needs to be held back a year.
AL is the state code for Alabama so oil from there to Japan would either have to go north or south, Mexico keeps it from going due west
Tanada wrote:AL is the state code for Alabama so oil from there to Japan would either have to go north or south, Mexico keeps it from going due west
The United States National Ice Center confirms that Amundsen's Northwest Passage is navigable. The AMSR-E data furthermore indicate that the Northern Sea Route (also called the Northeast Passage) is open.
Alfred Tennyson wrote:We are not now that strength which in old days
Moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are;
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.
Tanada wrote:Looking at the visible light sea ice satalite views Northwest Passage & Northeast Passage for Sunday October 5th it is clear that both passages are still nominally navigable by commercial shipping.
According to NSIDC 25Aug2008The United States National Ice Center confirms that Amundsen's Northwest Passage is navigable. The AMSR-E data furthermore indicate that the Northern Sea Route (also called the Northeast Passage) is open.
This means that the passages have both been navigable for 41 days as of yesterday. In 2007 only the Northwest passage opened, that occured 21AUG2007. The NSIDC report for 14OCT2007 indicates that no ice free route remained open as of that date. Therefore in 2007 the Northwest passage alone opened and was open about 50 days. In 2008 BOTH passages opened and are still both navigable after 41 days. I will keep an eye on them and see when each closes for the year.
For the last two years the Northwest Passage has been open for at least the last week of August, all of September and the first week of October.
Alfred Tennyson wrote:We are not now that strength which in old days
Moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are;
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.
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