Royal Wagenborg, a Dutch maritime and logistics services provider, has announced that its ice-strengthened MV Africaborg has travelled from Lianyungang in China to Baie Comeau in Canada via the Northwest Passage. The Africaborg is thus the first European merchant vessel to traverse the entire Northwest Passage without the assistance of icebreakers. The journey from China to Canada through the Northwest Passage is some 3750 nautical miles shorter than the traditional route via the Panama Canal, resulting in a shorter journey and thus a reduction in emissions of over 40%.
For over a century Royal Wagenborg has been a logistic partner for many major wood and paper producers worldwide. Once only known in the Baltic, Wagenborg has since then earned a worldwide reputation in this market. For example, recently m.v. Avonborg made her 100th voyage from Canada to the Caribbean for Resolute Forest Products. Despite this impressive number, this milestone is just a tip of the iceberg when it comes to the relationship between Resolute and Wagenborg. Hans Kroon, Marco Renzelli and Don Walton look back.
