A ship has set a new speed record for Arctic shipping as ice layers in the region get thinner. The vessel, which was carrying liquefied natural gas, travelled from Norway to South Korea in just 19 days, beating the previous record by five days. The journey was made possible by favourable ice conditions on the Northern Sea Route, which saw spring ice melting half a month earlier than usual. The Arctic ice cap reached its seventh lowest minimum extension on record in September 2017.