Can a warming Arctic become an important commercial highway?

The conflict in the Middle East has raised security concerns about the shipping route through the Bab al-Mandeb strait and the Suez Canal, which links Asia to Europe.

And climate change has contributed to major melting in the Arctic, making it navigable for greater stretches of the year.

Some countries are already taking notice.

The first South Korean container ship to transit the Arctic route arrived in the United Kingdom on Saturday.

But can it become a viable alternative to existing shipping corridors?

Or will it become another geopolitical and environmental flashpoint?

Presenter: Neave Barker

Guests:

Mads Frederiksen – Executive director at The Arctic Economic Council

Vyacheslav Mishchenko – Russia energy expert

Jimmy Suroto Huang – Founder of Nava Analytics and Research, which looks at the maritime trade and logistics industry