Now, I know what you're thinking: "James, that's not so incredible. Tankers regularly carry LNG from Russia to Asia via the Suez Canal in the winter months!"

Oh, yes, of course, my dear, well-informed reader. But here's the rub: This was no ordinary tanker, but the Christophe de Margerie, an ice class LNG tanker designed to transport gas along the summer route across the Arctic.

"But James, the summer route doesn't open until July!"

Exactly. This was a test to see whether the trip could be started nearly two months early. The Christophe de Margerie launched from the Port of Sabetta in Russia's frozen north on May 18th and hooked up with the Yamal, a nuclear icebreaker, which escorted it through the Arctic passage. Together, the ships were able to trim nearly 4,000 nautical miles off the regular winter shipping route, which takes the cargo on a circuitous journey around Europe and through the Suez Canal before arriving in Asia.