Surge of Russian tankers in the Arctic is raising risk of oil spills

For the first time, Russia has allowed oil tankers that lack reinforced hulls for dealing with ice to navigate its Arctic waters – a move that experts warn could raise the risk of environmentally-damaging oil spills in the sensitive Arctic ecosystem.

The news comes as part of an already-unprecedented surge in oil tankers travelling eastwards through the Northern Sea route, which runs along the Russian Arctic coastline to China’s ports in the Pacific Ocean. Taking advantage of climate change and reduced sea ice, …