Ships Are Starting to Use the Arctic as a New Shortcut

A new trade route through the melting Arctic is cutting travel times for big cargo ships, shaking up world business and politics.

A big change is happening at the top of the world. More ships are starting to use the Arctic as a shortcut to move goods between countries. Normally, ships have to take a long way around, traveling through places like the Suez Canal. By going through the Arctic, they can save a lot of time. For example, some ships carrying batteries to Europe have cut their travel time in half by using this route. China and Russia are the ones pushing for this the most. They are building special ships that have extra-strong hulls to break through the ice. These are called "ice-class" ships. This isn't just…