AN ARCTIC RAILWAY VISION The goods perspective for an Arctic railway between Rovaniemi and Kirkenes linking to a port on the Barents Sea Front page: Illustration from video produced in 2014 for the Arctic Corridor project by Region of Northern Lapland - http://arcticcorridor.fi 455 En arktisk jernbanevisjon Side 2 CONTENTS Perspectives for an Arctic railway ........................................................................................................... 5 0 SUMMARY .......................................................................................................................................... 13 1 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................. 15 2 CURRENT MARITIME GOODS TRAFFIC IN THE NORTH ....................................................................... 16 2.1 Export .......................................................................................................................................... 16 2.2 Import .......................................................................................................................................... 18 3 THE NORTHERN SEA ROUTE ............................................................................................................... 20 3.1 The NSR and container traffic ..................................................................................................... 23 3.2 China and container cargo on the NSR ........................................................................................ 24 3.3 China’s trade with selected countries in Northern Europe ......................................................... 25 3.4 The potential for Chinese goods via the NSR .............................................................................. 27 3.5 The potential from other trading partners in Southeast Asia ..................................................... 28 3.6 Baltic Sea tunnel and the cargo basis via the NSR without Germany ......................................... 29 3.7 Russia and container cargo via the NSR ...................................................................................... 32 3.8 Environmental challenges associated with shipping on the NSR ................................................ 33 4 KIRKENES AS A TRANSSHIPMENT PORT WITH RAIL LINK ................................................................... 35 5 FINNISH CARGO BASIS FOR AN ARCTIC RAILWAY .............................................................................. 36 5.1 Minerals ....................................................................................................................................... 36 5.2 Timber and biofuels ..................................................................................................................... 37 6 NORWEGIAN CARGO BASIS FOR AN ARCTIC RAILWAY ...................................................................... 38 6.1 Minerals ....................................................................................................................................... 38 6.2 The aquaculture industry ............................................................................................................ 38 6.3 The fisheries industry .................................................................................................................. 39 6.4 Waste disposal............................................................................................................................. 40 7 TOURISM ............................................................................................................................................ 41 8 RAILWAY AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT..................................................................................... 42 455 En arktisk jernbanevisjon Side 3 8.1 Railway ........................................................................................................................................ 42 8.2 Port .............................................................................................................................................. 42 9 THE NORTHERN SEA ROUTE – GEOPOLITICAL ASPECTS ..................................................................... 45 10 ARCTIC STRATEGIES ABOUT LOGISTICS ............................................................................................ 48 455 En arktisk jernbanevisjon Side 4 Perspectives for an Arctic railway: The Vision The vision for The Arctic Railway is to be able to offer an environmentally-friendly and faster transport alternative for goods between Northeast Asia and Northern Europe via Finland by utilisation of the Northern Sea Route (NSR) and development of Kirkenes as a hub port. As the first Western port on the route, Kirkenes would be a strategic hub in the north for liner traffic transporting containers to and from Asia The transport time through the Northern Sea Route is the fastest route from China with a railway link to Northern Europe via Kirkenes As the first Western port in the north with a railway link, Kirkenes would experience major employment effects in addition to wider economic effects in East Finnmark This rail vision is based on the shortest travel time for containers from China to Northern Europe, and that the Port of Kirkenes would be the triggering factor for a railway line in a 2040 perspective. This route has the potential to be a new “maritime silk route in the north”. The basis for this vision This vision is based on 10% of the current combined international container trade from China, Taiwan, South Korea and Japan to the North European countries Germany, Denmark, Finland, Sweden and Norway using the Northern Sea Route (NSR) combined with transloading to a rail link in Kirkenes. This vision is based on container ships transporting 4,800 TEU (containers). 10% of the container traffic provides huge possibilities! The basis of the vision whereby 10% of the current volume of goods is transported on this railway line would offer the following possibilities for the Port of Kirkenes with a rail link to Finland continuing to Scandinavia, the Baltic countries and Western Europe: 10 southbound goods trains per day from Kirkenes to Finland and on to other destinations 550,000 containers transloaded per year – or 37,000 containers per month – from Asia via the Port of Kirkenes during a 7.4-month navigation season, as well as the same number of containers (empty or with export cargo) on the return leg from Europe 400-600 people could gain direct employment in Kirkenes. Based on a 7.4-month navigation season on the NSR, a terminal port in Kirkenes must have equivalent or greater capacity than the Port of Gothenburg. The container traffic between Asia and Europe will be almost threefold in 2040, so even a share of 3-4% of the combined container imports from China, Taiwan, South Korea and Japan to Northern Europe would generate comprehensive activity at the Port of Kirkenes and on an Arctic railway to Rovaniemi. A 40% reduction of the sailing distance via the Northern Sea Route (NSR) compared to the current route through the Suez Canal between the northern part of Northern Europe (from Germany and northwards) and the Asian countries of China, Taiwan, South Korea and Japan A 20% reduction in fuel consumption compared to the route through the Suez Canal would generate climate effects. The potential for goods transport linked to Russia, the Baltic countries and Poland An Arctic railway could also offer faster freight transport through direct access via Helsinki to the three Baltic countries and Poland, as well as to St. Petersburg in Russia. A reduction of 2-5 days through loading goods onto a train in Kirkenes compared to shipping via the NSR – the Baltic Sea 455 En arktisk jernbanevisjon Side 5 10% of the current flow of goods from China to the Baltic countries and Poland via Kirkenes could amount to an additional 37,000 TEU per year on an Arctic railway. The transportation of frozen fish and general cargo in containers from the far east of Russia to St. Petersburg and vice versa provide a significant cargo basis for an Arctic railway. Other possibilities linked to tourism and commercial transport There are no triggering factors, but rather secondary opportunities for a railway Tourism and the transportation of tourists between Rovaniemi and Kirkenes The potential for future exports from the Finnish mineral industry Export of seafood and white fish Reduced transport time compared with the Suez Canal Chinese calculations show that a container liner with a capacity of 4,800 TEU, low ice class and a 7.4- month navigation season via the NSR could be economically competitive with the Suez Canal. This includes a significant time saving: a. The sailing distance Shanghai – Hamburg via the Suez Canal is 12,277 nautical miles. At an average speed of 13 knots, it takes 39 days to complete this distance. b. The sailing distance Shanghai – Kirkenes via the NSR is 6,517 nautical miles. At an average speed of 13 knots, it takes 21 days to navigate this distance. c. The travel time on an Arctic railway Kirkenes – Hamburg via the new Helsinki –Tallinn railway tunnel would be roughly two days, and would also contribute to significantly faster to the growing markets of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, which are en route. d. In principle, the current railway network between China and Europe via Russia makes possible a transportation time of 15 days