The summer navigation season in the Arctic is heating up, with several Chinese shipping companies sending container vessels through this route to capitalize on a faster connection to Europe, reports gCaptain.
Container Ships Along Arctic Route for faster Europe Trade
Newnew Shipping, for instance, has been ramping up its Arctic operations since launching services in 2023. Last year alone, they completed 13 voyages along Russia’s Northern sea Route, transporting approximately 20,000 containers. Currently, they have two ships navigating the Arctic adn at least three more vessels authorized for this passage.
One of their ships, the Newnew Polar Bear, set sail from Shanghai on July 16 after a brief stop in Nakhodka Bay in Russia’s Far East. It’s expected to reach Akhangelsk by August 15. This marks its first return to these waters since an incident last year involving damage to seafloor infrastructure during its time in the Baltic Sea; investigations revealed that it dragged anchor over considerable distances. The captain is currently facing trial back in china.
Another vessel making waves is the Newnew Star—this ship left Tianjin on July 20 and is headed for Saint Petersburg. This journey will take about four weeks compared to nearly seven weeks if it where routed through the Suez Canal. Additionally, Fujian Huihai Shipping Co. Ltd. has entered this arena with their feeder vessel Hui Da 9; it departed Saint Petersburg on July 20 bound for Rizhao in eastern China—a new player utilizing Russia’s Northern Sea Route that can cut travel time significantly.
Tracking data shows numerous Chinese container ships are expected to navigate these icy waters throughout August 2025. At least twelve more vessels have received permits for Arctic shipping routes including returning favorites like Newnew Panda 1 and Xin Xin Tian 2 as well as Istanbul Bridge (previously known as flying Fish 1), which made history last year as both the largest Panamax container ship and first of its kind across this route.
Next month could see even more activity when another niche operator from China—Sea Legend Shipping—plans to kick off a liner service connecting China with northern Europe. This new offering will feature an extraordinary itinerary spanning just eighteen days between key ports such as qingdao and hamburg among others—the first service of its kind linking multiple Asian and European ports along one path using both ice-class and conventional ships.
Currently limited by seasonal constraints between July and November due to ice conditions, Chinese firms are eyeing all-year-round routes via this passageway by around 2030. In collaboration with Rosatom—a Russian state corporation—Newnew shipping aims to order five Arc7 ice-class container vessels each capable of carrying about 4,400 TEU.
Vladimir Panov from Rosatom recently mentioned that they’re actively working on designs for these specialized ships while exploring support options from both Russian and Chinese authorities regarding construction logistics at suitable shipyards.
Whether or not this route can evolve into a reliable year-round corridor remains uncertain; although Russian officials have voiced intentions towards facilitating continuous shipping here, only limited test voyages have successfully navigated during winter months so far.
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Source: gCaptain
