Milan (AsiaNews) – China has completed the first season of a regular container service between Asia and Europe via the Arctic.
The Sea Legend Shipping company carried out all eight scheduled voyages for the China-Europe Arctic Express, a service running along the Northern Sea Route, which skirts the coast of northern Russia.
The final two vessels left Ningbo on 27 September, ahead of schedule, due to forecasts of expanding ice cover.
Following an experimental voyage in 2024, Sea Legend organised eight crossings this year using a fleet of seven container ships, transitioning from a trial phase to a scheduled seasonal service.
According to preliminary data from the authorities in Zhejiang, the eight trips carried more than 14,000 TEUs (Twenty-foot Equivalent Units), a standard measure for shipping containers, out of a total planned capacity of approximately 15,700 TEUs.
More than 8,300 TEUs came from Zhejiang, a coastal province in eastern China, accounting for roughly 59 per cent of the total.
Meanwhile, customs officials in Ningbo, one of the ports from which the containers departed, recorded 7,761 TEUs, with a value of 5.33 billion yuan (around US$ 750 million).
The cargo included energy storage systems, batteries, and new energy vehicles, products for which shorter delivery times can offer a distinct commercial advantage.
According to Chinese authorities, the journey to Northern Europe can take approximately 18–20 days, compared to 35–40 days via traditional routes through the Suez Canal.
However, actual transit times during the 2026 season were more variable; some vessels took as long as 25–33 days to reach European ports, limiting the advantage of the Arctic route.
While the capacity utilised during the season points to genuine commercial interest, it is not sufficient to demonstrate the economic viability of the service.
The vessels employed are smaller than the large container ships operating on major international routes: the largest, the Istanbul Bridge, has a capacity of 4,890 TEUs, whereas vessels exceeding 20,000 TEUs are used on routes via the Suez Canal.
The Northern Sea Route relies on Russian infrastructure. Since 2018, Rosatom, a Russian state-owned corporation active in the nuclear sector and the management of Arctic infrastructure, has overseen the route, including the issuance of navigation permits and the provision of icebreaker support services.
Dependence on Moscow, compounded by sanctions related to the war in Ukraine, complicates the participation of major international shipping lines.
Furthermore, the technical specifications of the vessels, ice conditions, and the limited availability of support services hinder the development of this route into a year-round shipping lane.
These constraints are compounded by operational and insurance costs, which can erode the economic benefits gained from the shorter distance.
South Korea has also experimented with this Arctic connection. The PanStar Acro container ship left Busan on 22 August, reaching Felixstowe in the United Kingdom before continuing on to Rotterdam and Gdańsk. On 11 October, the vessel returned to Busan, completing the country’s first commercial round-trip voyage via the Arctic after 50 days.
The South Korean government wants to introduce regular services by 2030, but the crossing highlighted the challenges in securing cargo: the ship departed with 737 TEUs, fewer than the approximately 1,300 the operator had hoped to load.
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