Travel time between the Japanese port of Yokohama and Hamburg in Germany has been reduced by 40 per cent. The town of Kirkenes in northernmost Norway used to be further away from Asia than virtually any other European port , but it suddenly seems a  lot closer. The reason : GLOBAL WARMING.

Melting ice has opened up the Northern Sea Route along Russia?s Arctic coastline , changing international trade patterns in profound ways-even if so far it looks more like a sleepy country road than a busy highway.

In a change of potentially revolutionary significance, the travel time between the Japanese port of Yokohama and Hamburg in Germany has been cut by 40% , while fuel expenditure is down by 20%.

For the first time in history shipowners are witnessing a new ocean opening up in the high North which will have a major impact on both trade and provision of energy. In 2012 , when the ice reached its lower extent on record , 3.4 million square Km , 46 ships used the new route , compared with only 4 in 2010.

The volume of goods transported along the Northern Sea Route is likely to grow strongly in the coming years , from 1.26 million tonnes last year to 50 million tonnes in 2020.