Where we are in the world
Royal Arctic Line is a company that operates a system of ferries that connects remote communities throughout Greenland – it is an important form of transport for goods into and out of the country. Since starting operations in 1993, the company has grown to operate 5 major lines that connect various Greenlandic villages with Iceland, Denmark and Sweden.
For other maps on transportation routes with boats, see posts on Alaska Marine Highway System and the Suez Canal Expansion!
See the interactive Google Map at the bottom of the post!
Three key facts about this map
Royal Arctic Line consists of 13 ships that can berth in remote harbors
The company’s fleet is specifically designed for the rough Arctic weather and include double hulls and a high freeboard – meaning that the top of the hull is very high from the waterline. Several of these ships have features that allow them to berth at the very remote harbors they call on, which often do not have substantial infrastructure to load / unload shipments.
There are two classes of ships that Royal Arctic Line operates:
- Container vessels (7 in operation currently): these are the large ships that typically carry large quantities of goods across the Atlantic from Greenland to Europe and back (often by way of the Faroe Islands); several of these ships have cranes attached to load and unload containers at ports without existing infrastructure
- Settlement vessels (6 in operation currently): these are smaller ships that operate between Nuuk and the isolated Greenlandic villages
The company has historically maintained a monopoly on sea traffic in Greenland
Due to the harsh environment and very specific requirements, there are no other companies that transport goods and people via sea in Greenland other than Royal Arctic Line; however, the company is wholly owned by the Government of Greenland and not privately held, which is typical for critically important industries in certain countries (such as government-owned utility companies). In 2016, the company started a limited partnership with an Icelandic company Eimskip on international shipping routes that connect Greenland with Iceland and the rest of Europe.
While cargo is the main business of Royal Arctic Line, the company operates a subsidiary called Arctic Umiaq Line that carries passengers between Greenlandic cities. This passenger subsidiary operates a single ship and transports 20,000 passengers per year, a vast majority being Greenlandic travelling between settlements on the west coast of the country.
The primary cargo carried by Royal Arctic Line from Greenland to Europe is shellfish
Cargo is tracked in the company’s annual report in four separate ways:
1) Northbound – goods travelling from Europe to Greenland
- This represents 49% of total cargo carried
- Goods here are primarily perishables, consumables and other products used for day-to-day life of Greenland citizens
2) Southbound – goods travelling from Greenland to Europe
- This represents 31% of total cargo carried
- Goods here are exports from Greenland, mainly shellfish and fish products destined for the European and global markets
3) Intra-Greenland – goods travelling between Greenlandic settlements
- This represents 16% of total cargo carried
- Goods here are primarily carried from the facilities at Nuuk (main international port) to other smaller settlements throughout the country
4) Project cargo – goods specifically for large infrastructure projects
- This represents 4% of total cargo carried
- Projects included in this are schools or airports in Nuuk
Additional links and sources
- Official website (link)
- Information on the Royal Arctic Line / Eimskip partnership (link, published in 2016)
- 2021 annual report (link, published in 2022)
Have you ever heard of the Royal Arctic Line?
See other places around the world Globe Charting has featured!
