Arctic shipping routes unlikely to be 'Suez of the north'

Late last year a cargo ship made maritime history. It became the first foreign bulk carrier to make a commercial trip across Russian Arctic waters.

Carrying over 40,000 tonnes of iron ore, the MV Nordic Barents left Kirkenes port in Norway on 4 September.

It sailed the North Sea route, a path that runs eastwards from northern Europe, along Russia's north coast and through the Bering Strait. Some three weeks later, it docked in Xingang, northern China.

"The whole trip went...