Arctic shipping : a contrasted expansion of a largely destinational market

In the frame of climate change, sea ice conditions are changing; the length of the navigable season, depending on the vessel ice class, has already expanded and is expected to increase further (Stephenson et al. in Clim Change 118(3–4):885–899, 2013; in Polar Geogr 37(2):111–133, 2014). This reduction in sea ice extent and volume has triggered scenarios of fast expansion of maritime trade along Arctic sea routes. The impact of climate change on melting Arctic sea ice has been widely discussed in the scientific literature, as well as in the media. The media largely reported two events that fuelled these narratives on the advent of Arctic shipping.