hive-178138 community on Hive

Hibernation Mode

bozz — Fri, 30 Oct 2026 11:30:00 GMT

![PXL_20261024_140918733.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/23uQnVpsSFU4FC1rZZs9Tc7iEvpcSKcWmkUZoTGpxafA35p45YzzBdqTuNQn2215Tow5J.jpg)

October is an interesting month. It's that time of year when death is pretty front and center in our minds. Whether it be from all of the horror movies, Dia De Los Muertos, Halloween in general, or the leaves falling from the trees and all the green slowly withering away. Uptober seems to be pretty much dead as well. I'm not even going to look at the charts right now, but from what I have seen over the past few days, BTC isn't handing out any treats right now. It's all tricks and just like everything else is dying, hope is dying right along with it.

I've kind of moved myself into hibernation mode just like many of the wild animals are doing. It's kind of an instinctual thing to just keep stacking whatever tokens I can and hope that one day "spring" will come and things will turn around a bit. The fact is, I have been dealing with some real world stuff lately that has taken most of my attention. Which isn't a bad thing... otherwise, I might be totally depressed by the crypto world.

![PXL_20261024_140921462.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/246apAqPGBda1HxB9tf1ezapdaqpLQDWZ4hCqCqrGd7DKWEjXZwmoQwb8djsZGDRkYxVP.jpg)

I've been working on some projects for #thepub community lately and I although I have hinted at them a bit in the past, I am ready to share the full scope of what I have been working on with you today.

The basic premise is, I wanted to use the @thepub account to start curating the posts that people have been making in #thepub community which can be found here. To do this, I started leveraging AI via Google AI Studio to build a bot that could vote on posts that met a certain criteria in The Pub. After hitting my rate limit and several failed attempts, I finally shifted gears.

The biggest issue was the fact that not many people post in The Pub, so for me to test the code, I often had to wait days for someone to actually post in the community to see if the upvote would actually work.

As I said though, I finally gave up on using that tool, and instead, I used my free Claude subscription to see if it could code me something better. Turns out, it could.

![PXL_20261024_140351058.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/243BeGG2z21AVxDfjkp4U69MuQtcrM312D4orNq4G7xAhNP33xsgtr56r5BEUHExrtkiu.jpg)

Here is the dashboard that Claude coded for me based on the prompts I gave it for my voting bot. As I said, there are certain limits. It will only vote on people who have 50 rep or higher, and the post has to be something like 450 words. The community is also small enough right now that I will be monitoring the posts. If I start to see someone abusing the bot, I will add them to the blacklist I had built in.

The biggest issue is the account has no HP right now to vote. I have a few people that delegated, but any delegations that you are able to spare are welcome. Unlike other projects, I can't guarantee you a return right now. I have a piece built into the code to pay out delegators, but I don't know if it works, and I want to give the account time to get bigger. For example, you can see in he code I have the payout set to 40% for delegators right now. If I can verify that works, I'd like up that amount to closer to 80% or higher, but like I said, I want to build @thepub account up a bit.

Based on the page I vibe coded about a week ago, I need something like 30,000 HP on @thepub account to be able to give out like 25 $.02 upvotes to people's posts per day. I know, it's not great, but we have to start somewhere right?

![image.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/245n9v7K9aUE119Zuz22EbTFEskAmuDLYZByKQSkrWSxfA8dCryVTFTagrUmdVpemDTdL.png)

As I said, there is also a blacklist piece. Given the fact that I am delegating to the account, and also the fact that I post in #thepub a lot, I didn't want there to be the illusion that I was self voting, so I added myself to the blacklist. If you delegate and you would like to be added to the blacklist, please just let me know. Or if there is some other reason you want to be excluded, just let me know.

![image.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/23sxozwpQmJqt623g2BAAWD2NxSLE4CuwkRJ5zis43wAMmtinJhobGGyc3BZyBVmsid2G.png)

I'm not asking for your full stack, but if a dozen people (or more) could spare maybe 500 HP, it could help build @thepub account into a nice curation account for #thepub community.

If you end up not being happy with what I am doing here, just pull your delegation back, I fully understand.

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Children For Charity Day This Weekend

cryptoandcoffee — Thu, 29 Oct 2026 17:52:00 GMT

This weekend on Saturday afternoon we will all be busy helping out in our gated community opening up to all the local residents outside. This was discussed before and after had the the one child open up a lemonade stand for charity it was decided to do something this year. My grandson was going to do a popcorn stand so we decided no promises and will make that decision on the day. I am sure we will have hundreds of people attending and whatever charities are being supported will do very well.

Halloween is not something we do as a family, but over the years it is something that some families do and we will go as far as trick or treating this year. Those residents that do not want to partake in this will just have a sign outside saying no thank you or I guess just do not respond. I will be buying and stocking up on sweets tomorrow so whoever calls walks away with a smile.

Growing up these days as a child is not the same when we were growing up and why we have so many street smarts because we lived outside. There were always weirdos around yet we did not care and could take care of ourselves. Being able to ride your bike 60 km to the beach for the day was just normal and not a special outing.

We had the start of ATARI tv games when I was around 13 and the Commodore computer, but outside was where we wanted to be and why things are just different these days. This may sound a little weird that we are offering bike rides for kids, but the truth is you do not see kids riding bikes in their neighborhoods.

Security and being aware of crime is something that you are just raised with and having our gated community available for the kids is actually a big deal. All that is missing here is a park where they can run around and kick a ball.

Our community has two gates a top gate and bottom gate with the bottom gate opening for one day each year which makes this gated community legal. The top gate has an armed guard who monitors and screens visitors who have to sign in and out. We have cameras at the entrance points plus coverage of the two main streets.

This weekend we will still have guards in place at both gates monitoring who comes in and out so there is no worries of unwanted guests. The upside is those outside can see how we live and the difference having a secure area to live in and how much freedom you have. This is where the value lies and why we can ask a premium for the properties which is worth an extra 25%-30%. Properties sell very quickly and you never see a for sale sign and just a sold sign.

We have been contacted regularly by various estate agents due to demand in the area testing the water to see if we are thinking of selling. These open days to the public will fuel that demand because there is such a big difference living on the inside compared to outside in the wild west. Every Friday and Saturday night without fail we hear gunshots echoing around the valley and know something bad is going down.

Our first sip of Austin nightlife

bozz — Thu, 29 Oct 2026 10:32:03 GMT

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After we spent a bit of time resting from all the adventures of our first morning in Austin, Texas, we decided to head out and check out some of the watering holes the city had to offer. We decided that we were going to hit a couple of places for some drinks and appetizers and then see where things went from there. The truth is, there are so many different areas of Austin to hang out in that you really can't go wrong no matter what you do. While the big draw is the 6th street area downtown, there are also a lot of other hip and cool areas to hang out.

![PXL_20261016_213257997.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/23ywoF9oF2Q7Qh5rAnxtefMBFAGrjYESGf3t48NizDk3U7LTQ6TjpvJuXxgaxXpkvnnvN.jpg)

As I have mentioned before, we were staying in the East Austin area around the vicinity of 12th street. We found a cool place called Sour Duck Market that was having a happy hour, so we decided to start there. It's a cool and trendy little place with lots of outdoor seating as you can see from their website. We decided to sit indoors in their small little dining area. We got a few appetizers that I didn't get a shot of, and the drinks you see in the photo above. Mine was the one on the right with tequila in it, and the one on the left is @mrsbozz's. Her sister got the same drink as her, and our brother in law got a beer.

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I noticed as we were out and about, Austin seems to really like these dried blood orange slices or whatever you want to call them. They used them in a ton of drinks at a ton of different places we visited. In fact, I even noticed a few spots had huge jars of them that they would pull from when they needed them.

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My sister in law got a burger that I didn't get a photo of, but it was part of their happy hour menu and she really enjoyed it. @mrsbozz got the mushroom pastry that you see above, and I have to admit, it was dang good. They hand make all the baked goods in house and the flakiness and butteriness of the dough was absolutely phenomenal. Since my brother in law and I had our smoked sausage sandwich earlier (see yesterday's post), we weren't super hungry.

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You can't really see it in the photo, but there was a lady back in the back corner of the restaurant with a full influencer set up going on complete with light, microphone, laptop, and tablet. She must have been doing some kind of podcast or hotspot something or other. I don't really know, it just seemed out of the ordinary, but I guess weird is what Austin is known for!

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From there, we went to a place that was just literally a block away from where we stayed called Nixta Taqueria. Nixta is actually a place that someone else on HIVE here has talked about before. Since it was so close, and so well recognized, we decided we needed to check it out. The chef is MICHELIN recognized, so if that sort of thing is a big deal to you, you might want to check this place out. I took the photo above of their rules which I am sure they developed over time through great pains as the establishment began to rise in popularity.

![PXL_20261016_223438245.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/23z7Fd19gFBoyHP7vuaXMJzebkqyXhEtr6d9YFui54oiWGeeBqixymyai3farEdVLijtb.jpg)![PXL_20261016_223445044.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/23yJGkRJy29poZ43nKsY4MQQgTjdoMqgUGhQwxfuMMKa4fTbJAWvCNE7QAqaUdvCnarhf.jpg)

We got the dips to share that came with multicolored tortilla chips, some refried beans, and a deep smokey salsa like no other salsa I have had before. It was almost like a mole that is how rich and earthy it was.

![PXL_20261016_223454005.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/23xenRb4zvUDZmxqVAuNgFk3vsvRBzu22EjtedL7vkFohnBMAAUuTFJEBr5HprUE58MS1.jpg)

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This Is Actually Quite interesting

cryptoandcoffee — Wed, 28 Oct 2026 17:07:18 GMT

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One would presume the South Africans left when apartheid ended due to the what was to come and so much uncertainty. We left in 1994 and I moved with the family back to England after I had basically managed to organize a relocation with BAT. The companies were the same, but due to apartheid had separate identities and even though I was not guaranteed a position it was kind of a certainty. The company was not BAT, but Rothmans back then and owned by South Africa before they became part of the BAT set up. As expected it was a formality even though I had to follow the recruitment process using their recruitment agents and was offered various roles which I could select.

My exodus from SA was fairly straightforward with the normal tax clearances and prison clearances etc showing you had no criminal records. Back in 1994 and prior to 1994 the amount of people leaving the country was high and it was noticeable amongst the white population as there were less and less white people around.

Another factor prior to 1994 was that every white male was called up into the armed forces to serve their military service and many decided to leave the country than waste two years of their lives. This is what i should have done but had no idea what I wanted to do with my life and have no regrets as it taught me things like discipline and respect and was like a finishing school for myself.

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More South Africans left after the ANC government came into power which is what is interesting with these stats. The people never left because there was a black government in charge but for all the other reasons no one tells you about. Our reasons for leaving in 1994 was not the change of government, but the fear of education standards dropping, the currency depreciating along with safety and security concerns.

There are various statistical numbers showing a different number with one being official in yellow and another being unofficial. The unofficial have actually been obtained from those countries who received the South Africans so they are not exactly unofficial and are the real figures. This does not go with the narrative the new SA government wanted everyone to see.

The people movement or exodus out of SA was not just white people and was all races who moved for various reasons and those are all good reasons.

Safety was the number one reason for people leaving as serious crime was rampant and is still the case today. I think the difference from then and now is we have worked a way of living with this and have added security these days with private armed response companies that you pay a monthly membership fee for their services. The police prior to 1994 were actually very good and most of the police force left when the government change over happened with many police then opening up private security armed response companies.

SA has around 10 000 registered private security companies which would include armed response and anti hijack companies. Without these private security companies I can assure you we would not have returned to SA in 2004.

Another factor was employment as the focus after the election was replacing staff with black employment especially when the BEE regulations came into place. The first 10 years was crazy as you would have two staff members doing the same work that one used to do as this was like a kind of hand over on the job training. I saw this first hand in various offices and it made no sense having two people doing one job as you are either capable or you are not.

Opportunities of work were not like they used to be and if you were not black you had a 10% chance of employment. There was a scale in place which was law at the time. The pecking order for employment went like this. Black male- black female-disabled black male- disabled black female- colored male- colored female- disabled colored male- disabled colored female- Asian male- Asian female- disabled Asian male- disabled Asian female and then you got European or white at the very bottom of the list.

This did not take into education or whether you could actually do the work or not through qualifications or experience. Blacks were even targeted if their skin was not dark enough or they were not politically connected enough and lost out on jobs to others who knew someone.

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South Congress and our first taste of Texas BBQ

bozz — Wed, 28 Oct 2026 10:44:21 GMT

[//]:# (!worldmappin 30.24986 lat -97.74961 long d3scr)

After visiting the University of Texas Austin softball field, we decided to go and check out another area of the city south of downtown. This is Congress Avenue and it is one of the main thoroughfares through the downtown area and points beyond of Austin. Please feel free to check out my blog and read some of my previous posts if you want to see what we had been up to in Austin before this point. Just before we got to Congress Avenue, my wife noticed that there was a TCBY on Martin Luther King Boulevard.

Back in the day, @mrsbozz used to work for TCBY. The name stands for The Country's Best Yogurt and it is a frozen yogurt chain that has largely fallen by the wayside. You used to see a TCBY in pretty much every mall or strip mall in the United States, but now it seems there are only a handful of locations left. Austin just happens to have one of them. We felt obliged to stop, so I ran in and got my wife's favorite.

It's probably been about 30 years since my wife has been able to indulge in the treat you see above. White chocolate mousse frozen yogurt with peanut butter cups in it. She let me have a taste, and I do have to admit, it was pretty dang good! I'm glad she got to enjoy this treat at least one more time in her life. Needless to say, if we (or you) ever come across a TCBY in the future, do yourself a favor and check it out.

One of the most confounding things in Austin is the parking. Especially on a Friday, you have to pay for parking pretty much everywhere you go. In addition to that, no two lots use the same app or company for parking, so you can't just load one app on your phone and be set for the week or weekend. We finally found a parking garage to park in off Congress Avenue, and then we paid and set about walking up and down the street. This second of Congress has a bunch of murals like a lot of Austin, as well as a lot of country/western shops.

If you walk a bit down Congress towards the Colorado River, you get into the shops like Lululemon, but in this area, it is less of the chain type stores (sort of).

As you will see in the photos, there are still some chain stores, but a lot of them are local staples that have been in the Austin area for years. We actually walked by a specific section that had three boot stores in a row, and all of them were packed with people buying their cowboy boots. It seems that a little healthy competition isn't a problem down in Texas.

Living Michigan, I have seen my fair share of businesses advertising "deer processing". What I have never seen though is a food truck making that offer on the corner of a busy downtown street. As soon as I saw the sign for Hudson Market and read the fine print I knew I need to snag a shot of this place. I'm actually surprised my brother in law didn't talk me into stopping and buying something from the cart. I bet they had some amazing smoked sausage there.

I just took some passing shots of the store fronts. There isn't much to say about those. You can see the sort of places that were available to visit. Oddly enough, we didn't go into any of them. It was such a nice day out, we just enjoyed walking down the sidewalk. We did come across this awesome mural and since it was our anniversary weekend, @mrsbozz and I both got a shot of it. Oddly enough, we both used the same photo in our social media posts wishing each other happy anniversary. She is definitely the Yee to my Haw!

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What Did They Expect A FAFO Moment

cryptoandcoffee — Tue, 27 Oct 2026 20:25:42 GMT

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The Story We Could Have Predicted

One can only laugh and smile at those that bought Chinese cars 5 years ago and are now considering trading those old models in for a new Chinese vehicle. I have mentioned many times before my biggest concern all along has been the depreciation in value as these vehicles have no chance of holding any type of value. This is no different than having a 5 year old cell phone and is a throw away type item or close to that comparison.

A report has come out from one of the main Chinese vehicle holding distributing companies stating that many car owners are now being forced to hang onto their cars. The cars have depreciated so much that the finance owed after 5 years of payments does not cover the balance. The trade in values are so small the vehicle owners are now stuck. The words used was a mismatch between the trade in values and the outstanding vehicle finance.

The good news for those that hate anything Chinese is that statement 2 years ago that was made that the industry would cannibalize itself is actually coming to fruition. Whoever bought a Chinese car is finding out why it was actually a very bad idea. Once the safety standards for these vehicles are public knowledge which we all know those vehicles sold in South Africa have lower safety ratings try selling a vehicle then. This was a matter of time before the Chinese honeymoon blew up.

The other problem is that due to the steep competition and Chinese government supported subsidies for Chinese vehicle exports new vehicles are cheaper than ever. The second hard market is not interested in these 5 year old Chinese models which has pushed the vehicle valuations down even further. These Chinese vehicles in SA are mainly combustion engine models and the EV story with BYD is even worse with depreciation at an average rate of 45% for the first 3 years. Good luck selling or trading those models in 5 years time.

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There are so many various brands and models in the Chinese vehicle sector that no one knows of one particular brand or model will perform better than others. The current trend is that every Chinese car owner is experiencing what they never anticipated and that is owning a vehicle that no one wants or deems it to have actual financial value.

The problem is that everyone else who does not own a Chinese car views them as pure crap being sub standard on all levels and this playing out is proving that case for them. A Chinese car is not an investment and you may as well drive it until the wheels fall off as there is no market for second hand Chinese vehicles.

When we were out shopping for a car earlier this year granny stupidly had me sweating when she paused to take a look at a Chery. The car was in very good shape being 1 year old and 8000km on the clock and cheap at just under $16K. what got me was the depreciation as I saw a 50% price drop on a good looking car. Definitely not a bargain knowing there would be another instant 20% drop if we purchased this and my argument along with common sense won the day. This deal was a marriage breaker as I would never drive a Chinese car full stop.

What the owners of these unsellable cars are now doing is creating a boom for Chinese spares as maintenance and service plans have now expired. I expect this news is going to hit hard for those who have not reached the trade in time and will try and sell their cars before hand or as soon as possible which will have the same results.

The problem is when you buy a vehicle because of the upgrades that come with the vehicle and not for the vehicle itself. There is a reason why certain brands like Audi, Toyota and Mercedes hold their values and it is these instances that could change how and what cars people buy. A Chinese car will never hold any value when it comes to reselling as the quality of build is just not there.

The University of Texas: Austin

bozz — Mon, 26 Oct 2026 11:12:33 GMT

![PXL_20261016_170255252.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/242Y3vs2c59Uc26UETcqNDvadapQ1UaMmqK7QEQ9k6CpYxMby1jaffacb2bg3EJw47zbD.jpg)

After we had finished doing a little bit of shopping at some of the stores alongside the university in Austin, we decided it might be kind of fun to walk around the campus. Since it was Friday, there was still a lot of people to navigate through. Students rushing this way and that to classes or whatever other engagements they had. The campus is quite beautiful at the University of Texas, and they do a really good job of keeping it all in a compact area. Except for the tennis courts, baseball and softball fields, but I will get to that in a bit.

![PXL_20261016_163018951.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/23ynUjLTz3avhdcmdRWm2FhKVHdx6jjWySw9MkmU2KxBgq7Ay9NT5nSuoryyJUgYz3Tzg.jpg)![PXL_20261016_163025109.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/23zkkemkZVJYh5mKAZc4rEYJc1uctSH3dNQREpbF9SopnrJDrNUxQA6PRUtJhc4KxXgKt.jpg)

If you have never heard it before, the motto of Austin is "stay weird", and it is definitely a quirky town full of art and all other kinds of interesting stuff. There are murals just about everywhere you look, and I tried to get a shot of a few of them as you can see above.

![PXL_20261016_164656532.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/244UrEyJrxCaC4CjHfxVdc4T8woKUUn4ADga8H7Kex2BiFoyvo6GYsQrHtdMe6ZtH4YrQ.jpg)![PXL_20261016_164658744.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/23wgPvQ4k7QPaAzJC5WmpiWXePH2dvjk1WETeZM5eMXaQt81Ff7G1LM7Chg5kLass98be.jpg)

One of the things I really liked about the campus was the Spanish inspired architecture. The buildings all had this flare to them that kind of reminded you of a city like San Antonio or something like that. To be fair, San Antonio is only an hour and a half south of Austin. We will definitely be driving down there for a day if we ever visit Austin again.

We decided to duck into the Student Union to check it out.

![PXL_20261016_164735141.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/23uFPkg31JnsDgFKUepNUAR1YsTWXbwGeGffJBzfKcdg5RK9B8F4LuzvPmRPoWxKShu7y.jpg)![PXL_20261016_164741772.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/23uQjyDnEqJK6xzNoPHo9rBPRUPnWc6mVZZ15NWo2WBTGzuAePd5zEAjSuWa4jmdDrR58.jpg)

It's a pretty lavish building on the inside, rich with dark woods and what feels like a lot of history though the building itself doesn't look that old. Unfortunately, there was an event going on in the union and they had a lot of the other areas locked or they were requiring a student ID to access them, so we didn't make it much further than the foyer. It was still pretty cool to check it out.

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We also found a random statue of George Washington on the campus. There are actually quite a few statues on campus that we didn't get photos of, but the one of Washington just felt really out of place down in Texas. My brother in law commented that over at UVA (Virginia) they have a larger statue similar to this one. Now that makes sense to me being over on the east coast like that. I would question whether Washington ever actually stepped foot in Texas. I am guessing no.

![PXL_20261016_165404169.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/23zGip5yBPMV5YZDoU3LmVjnWXriqSgTu35TtFhtvKybmXCxHqKV6GgF9ty8PAq5E8gux.jpg)![PXL_20261016_165436313.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/245ccRnWzv5XpXRJgwZ3pgr4FLp3Kir49o8sEvrB6cwzzAmpLcRbJnUpBWksoevBDeoUT.jpg)

The focal point of the campus is the large clock tower, but unfortunately, it was being rennovated, so as you can see there is just a bunch of scaffolding all around it. Back in 1966 on August 1st, there was a mass shooting that took place on this campus. A 25 year old marine veteran killed 15 people while firing at random from both inside the main tower building and from the observation deck of the tower. He also injured 31 others before two Austin police officers killed him 96 minutes later.

There are a ton of documentaries about the shooting if you want to dig a little more into it.

![PXL_20261016_170015661.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/244xymvt6GqJHWMhvxj9BCD95DYK4Q6eaQ8LTmBKdthFf1jahTC5c14QdZvpgYp5KMFQv.jpg)

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Northern Sea Route News - Not Plain Sailing

cryptoandcoffee — Sun, 25 Oct 2026 20:05:54 GMT

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There is not much information available with regard to the Northern Sea Route even though strategically it is regarded as very hot property as a trading route. The only reason we do not have more news or hear much about this shipping route is largely due to western media down playing the importance. The route is regarded more as a back door or shortcut into Europe as it is only accessible for 5 months of the year due to the pack ice. Once the Russians and Chinese have sufficient ice breaking class vessels it becomes a front door accessible all year round. We know the Chinese when they target a certain area then it is only a matter of time being less than 5 years before this is the new reality.

The numbers of shipping transits are telling a different story with 104 confirmed transits by 30th September. Last year only 103 vessels made the trip and what the figures do not tell you is there are currently 45 vessels transiting this route which will bring the total close to 150 for the year which is a 50% growth.

Oil and LNG tankers are the biggest growth with over 2.5 million tons being exported to the Far East. there were 4 container transits from East to West with none destined for Russia and were all Europe bound. 2025 only had one such voyage so the growth is taking place even if it is at a slow pace. Sanctions have slowed Russia's export capabilities yet at the same time they are not exactly that affective.

The Vostok Oil project which is in the far north of Russia has been delayed for years and is now officially open. The project consists of a nearly 800 kilometer pipeline and a Port on the Taimyr Peninsula. This project may have taken 4 years to complete with all companies involved under heavy Western sanctions yet somehow this never stopped the completion of the project.

The reality is sanctions do not work and it is the ice coverage that sets the pace as this week many tankers were waiting for assistance after being trapped in ice. The shadow fleet which is mainly consisting of ageing tankers that would normally have been scrapped are not ice class vessels so the risks for the entire Arctic region having an oil spill or worse are high.

The EU would love access to the Northern Sea Route and has called on the US and Canada to increase their military presence in the area through adding security. The EU's Artic Policy is more about maritime surveillance and observing with an emphasis on ice melt along with monitoring the shipping numbers. As the numbers grow which is expected then the route becomes more commercially viable and would require more maritime security.

The truth is many are guessing the exact numbers of what Russia is exporting along the route each year and the route is becoming far busier even under sanctions. The 20 million barrels of crude exported by Russia this year represents 1% of the seaborne crude exports so one has to ask where is the balance of 99% being reported? The figures are all Western media figures and are not representative of what is actually happening along the NSR.

When you take into account the size of the shadow fleet which is estimated to be more than 1300 tankers strong that is capable of moving nearly 140 million million barrels of crude oil in just one trip. The shadow fleet represents nearly 20% of all tankers globally. Then putting that information into context we have been told the 20 million barrels exported by Russia to China seems a little light. The actual figure is between the official 800 million barrels per year and unofficial 2 billion barrels per year. I would not believe only 20 million barrels were exported along the NSR this year.

Russia also exports out of the Port of Primorsk located in the Baltic Sea which accounts for nearly 50% of Russia's crude exports. This is where the latest US diesel exports are originating from.

Russia and Indonesia met earlier this month to plan a pilot voyage from Indonesia to Europe in 2027 to calculate the time and costs saved for future exports. A pilot voyage would require Russia's involvement throughout the voyage as it looks to work closer with Russia.