German container line Hapag-Lloyd has followed CMA CGM in saying that its boxships will not use Arctic routes on environmental grounds.

Jorg Erdmann, its senior director for sustainability, said in an interview on its website: “Hapag-Lloyd does not use the Northwest Passage or the Northeast Passage as shipping routes right now, nor are there any plans to do so in the future.

"The particles produced by the combustion of carbon-based fossils and fuels contribute to global warming, which can in turn harm our ecosystems."

And he added: "As long as there are no guarantees that these passages can be navigated without negatively impacting the environment, using them is out of the question for Hapag-Lloyd.”

Erdmann said the ice-free season for the routes are limited, making them difficult to use regularly.

He added the company must take a "long and hard look at whether the time one might save from the shorter distances offered by using the Northwest Passage and Northeast Passage would result in genuine economic benefits, especially when taking into account the drafts of larger ships or the fact that ships would likely need to have the appropriate ice classes.”

French rival CMA CGM said in August it would not use Arctic routes due to environmental concerns.