File:Tankers paths cross on Arctic Northern Sea Route without icebreaker escort in January.png

English: For years, the northern area of the Arctic Ocean off the Eastern Siberian coast of Russia has been considered one of the hardest to reach places in the Northern Hemisphere and one of the most inhospitable tracts on the Northern Sea Route. However, in the night of 11 January 2021, two icebreaking liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers, the Christophe de Margerie and Nikolay Zubov, crossed paths in the Northern Arctic Ocean, taking advantage of the reduced thickness of the ice. This marks the first time that two tankers sail (in opposite directions) the North Sea route, without icebreaker escort in January. This image, acquired by one of the Copernicus Sentinel-1 satellites on 13 January 2021, shows the path of one of the two LNG, breaking the sea ice of the Arctic ocean. Copernicus Sentinel-1 satellites provide useful of information about the development of ice conditions in the Arctic. For instance, the provision of data on sea ice help to improve ship routing services, offshore operations and search and rescue operations, thus contributing to marine safety.