The £234 million ($300 million) Christophe de Margerie (pictured) completed the journey from Hammerfest in Norway to Boryeong in South Korea in just 19 days.
A Russian tanker (pictured) has cruised through the northern sea route without an icebreaker escort for the first time. Experts claim that climate change is to blame as warming temperatures thaw the region's frozen waters (Sovcomflot)
Observations From Members 