The successful navigation of two German vessels from South Korea to Rotterdam to become the first non Russian vessels to transverse the Northeast Passage from Asia to Europe has been hailed as a major breakthrough for world trade.

With piracy still a huge problem in the Gulf of Aden and insurance rates for vessels using the Suez Canal continuing to rise due to the threat of hijack, there are some which are claiming the voyage will open a new era for maritime trade offering a viable solution to the Suez. However environmentalists say that the ability for the two 12,000 tonne vessels to make the trip highlights the dangerous impact of global warning on the planet.

The shipping firm which owns the vessels, the Beluga Group, claims it has saved $288,000 (£180,000) per vessel by using the route saying it is 3,500 miles shorter than the established 12,500 mile route and as such cuts 10 days off of the length of the voyage.

Beluga Group president Niels Stolberg said: ‘We already have new contracts to take this route next summer. It will mean a considerable saving in shipping costs.’

“To transit the Northeast Passage so well and professionally without incidents on the premiere is the result of our extremely accurate preparation, as well as the outstanding team work between our attentive captains, our reliable meteorologists and our engaged crew," he told journalists. 

Daniel Hosseus from the German Shipowners' Association described it as "a very significant voyage".

"It is the first time that commercial ships from western countries have used the Northeast Passage or the Northern Sea route as a transit from Asia to Europe or vice versa," he added.

There are now those who are predicting that the success of the passage will prompt an “Arctic rush” as shipping firms turn their backs on the Suez.

But while the vessels’ captains said they encountered very few problems with floating ice, it has to be remembered the pair were escorted part of the route by two Russian icebreakers in conditions which were described as “challenging”,

Aleksandr Olshevsky, Director of the Russian Federal Agency for Marine and River Transport, told the media that the ice conditions had improved considerably in the past 20 years.

Scientists say that the route has not been as free of ice as it is now for at least 5,000 years.

London market insurers are paying a watching brief on the developments saying that there is still much work to be done before the Northeast Passage was to gather any great deal of traction.

One underwriter said: “The reduction in distance and the avoidance of the problems which are besetting the Gulf of Aden would be attractive, but this is not an easy route. There has been an improvement in conditions but we still have to take a view on just how easy it will be to navigate all year round.

“The market will always look to offer terms to vessels but the risks will needed to be fully explored to ensure they are accurately priced.”