The London School of Economics professor Robert Wade believes Iceland has an important part to play in the future of trans-Arctic shipping.
Wade, a long-time voice in favour of Iceland, said in the Financial Times that as Arctic ice melts, shipping in the region is already becoming easier.
China, he says, is looking to build giant reinforced icebreaking container ships to cross the Arctic and significantly shorten the distance from China to Europe and the east of North America.
As the massive new ships will need to dock and transfer their cargo to smaller ships for the journey to their final destinations, Wade believes Iceland will become a major freight centre.
Wade believes this is the main reason China maintains such a close relationship with Iceland, why its Reykjavik embassy is bigger than any other in the city and why Iceland’s president was greeted in China with such pomp and ceremony. He noted too, that China was a key lobbyist for Iceland when it attempted to gain a seat on the UN Security Council.
“British and Dutch negotiators currently trying to drive a hard deal on Icesave should bear in mind Iceland’s growing strategic significance as the Arctic ice melts. Icelanders have long memories, and draw encouragement from Kissinger’s phrase, ‘the tyranny of the tiny,’” Wade concludes.
“the tyranny of the tiny”
Anyone else think that Wade altered this quote to make it less offensive to Iceland?
Anyway, is this a good idea? If the ice is melting then will driving massive container ships through it not prevent any slim chance of it reforming?
What’s really worrying is that we see an economic opportunity in the destruction of an ecosystem that will have a catastrophic global impact.
It is always more to remember the quote of Einstein on the only two things that are infinite.
what a great solution,Icelanders are very smart pepole and will solve they’r proplem faster than any other country….GO ICELAND YOU ARE THE BEST…
This feasible economic opportunity compounded by the strategic location of Iceland and the inherent seamanship of the Icelanders would be great asset in the future. As an Environmentalist, I believed the preservation of the Eco-system is also foremost. Hopefully, we are looking forward to a better, brighter, secured and prosperous future.
“believes Iceland has an important part to play in the future of trans-Arctic shipping.”
LOL!!!!!
The whole economic argument depends on ships unloading and reloading in Iceland; far cheaper just to sail straight to market why invest billions investing in a docking facilities in Iceland?
Just to answer your question Peter:
It’s basic Supply Chain Management – Iceland would be the ideal distribution center for further shipping to Europe or the US.
Basic scenario: A freighter full of socks sails straight from Hangzhou. Another ship full of textile sails straight from Shanghai. Rather than sending one ship for each destination they send the whole freighter to Iceland and from there divide the appropriate shipments to ….the US, Canada, Denmark, UK, Germany etc.
This is a known cost effective model in Supply Chain Management.
The Dutch and British alike will be in awe by your mighty army of 3 men. The Chinese think of Iceland as the most important country in the world next to themselves, as if there was no UK and Holland.
Robert Wade is wack.
With the ice cap melting most of the uk will be under the rising water levels ….problem solved
>With the ice cap melting most of the uk will be under the rising water levels ….problem solved
As Milton Keynes said, in the long term we are all dead. It will be hundreds of years before the sea rises more than a meter or so.
“This is a known cost effective model in Supply Chain Management.”
Here is an alternative, ship it to Amsterdam (or the new docks in UK already being built) and distribute it to the whole of Europe without unloading/reloading. Use the most effective transport – rail or road.
Unless you have access to the figure its hard to decide which is best. And make your ice-proof contain ships in big enough numbers it would be economic.
As a classic example, look at the development of super tankers after the Suez Canal closed; its cheaper to ship in bulk longer distance than unload and go through the canal.
Iceland is my home. I am moving back as this will create so many jobs.
This will have a dramatic effect on cost of goods in pretty much everything we use. Maybe if some of these boats are auto transports we will see even cheaper prices on chinese cars when we start getting them.