September 4 - Further to our report of August 24, the two vessels pioneering commercial transit by non-Russian flagged vessels through the Northeast Passage are 'proceeding thoroughly well' according to Niels Stolberg, president and CEO of German carrier
Detailed preparation and careful weather analysis by Beluga's meteorologists, have helped Beluga Fraternity and Beluga Foresight successfully pass the Sannikov Strait and enter the Laptev Sea. The carriers were able to bypass icy conditions near the northwest side of Ayon Island and during the first miles through the Sannikov strait, helped by a Russian ice breaker, which joined the convoy earlier this week.
According to weather reports, more adverse conditions are expected in the southern area of the Vilkizki strait and in the entrance to the Kara Sea. "We will proceed with utmost precaution through this area", Captain Aleksander Antonov has assured. Thereafter the journey should be free of ice all the way into the bay of River Ob and the estimated time of arrival at Novyy Port / Yamburg is still the 6th or 7th of September.
At the port, cargoes destined for a power plant in Surgut, will be transshipped onto barges using the vessels' own cranes.
