Limited access, sea ice remain obstacles

 Fewer ships sailed through Arctic waters in 2014.

Thirty-one ships used the Northern Sea Route over Russia to sail between Europe and Asia and another 22 used part of the route, Alaska Public Radio Network reported (http://bit.ly/1ApgP9a ). In 2013, more than 70 vessels used the Northern Sea Route.

Predictions of increased ship traffic in the wake of diminished sea ice in Arctic waters may have been premature, said Malte Humpert, executive director of the Arctic Institute, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank, to Daily Journal.