The Northern Sea (Arctic) Route could effectively halve the sailing distance between the Far East and Europe but is unlikely to become commercially viable in the foreseeable future, said global maritime expert Koji Sekimizu.

He told The Straits Times during an interview on Monday: "We don't know yet if the Arctic will become a major shipping route, but (even if it does), I don't expect that it will happen in the foreseeable future, not in the next 10 to 15 years at least."