10th Naftemporiki Shipping Conference-Kalenteridis: The revolution of the 21st century will be the opening of the Northern Sea Route

Savvas Kalenteridis spoke astatine the 6th sheet of Naftemporiki’s 10th Shipping Conference, titled “Geopolitics astatine Sea”, connected the relation of maritime routes arsenic a cardinal arena of geopolitical confrontation.

As helium stated, “geopolitics is astir the power of oversea lanes,” noting that shipping is not so overmuch a tool of unit arsenic it is “subject to pressure.”

Shipping under the spotlight of crises

Kalenteridis referred to the Russia–Ukraine war, sanctions, the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, stressing that each these crises show that commercialized shipping is straight affected by geopolitical conflicts.

The “nuclear weapon” of the Strait of Hormuz

He placed peculiar accent connected the Strait of Hormuz, assessing that there had been a “major miscalculation” by the United States. As helium said, the nonsubjective was to forestall Iran from acquiring atomic weapons, but successful signifier Tehran was efficaciously fixed different almighty tool: power implicit 1 of the world’s astir captious maritime arteries.

He warned that firm and governmental strategies indispensable present accommodate to a caller scenario: not needfully permanently closed straits, but straits under power and perchance subject to transit “tolls.”

The transition to a multipolar world

Kalenteridis noted that the world has already entered a transitional signifier of multipolarity, with the United States, China and Russia reshaping planetary balances of power.

As helium argued, geopolitical tensions, wars and trade disputes are not an “abnormality,” but alternatively a symptom of the transition to a caller planetary system.

“The gyration of the 21st period will beryllium the Northern Sea Route”

The geopolitical expert placed peculiar accent connected the opening of the Arctic trade passage, which helium described arsenic “the gyration of the 21st century.”

He referred to the so-called Northern Sea Route, which runs on Russia’s Arctic coastline and connects Europe with Asia via the Arctic.

The gradual retreat of oversea crystal owed to clime alteration is making the way progressively accessible, importantly reducing transit times for goods betwixt China and Europe. Ships person already completed China–Europe voyages via the Arctic successful astir 20 days.