Chinese shipping company Sea Legend launched a container service from China to Europe via Russia’s Northern Sea Route (NSR) on August 15. The company said the service will operate approximately weekly for seven weeks through early October. Its Dubai Tower freighter departed Ningbo-Zhoushan Port on August 15 and is expected to reach the UK’s Felixstowe Port in about 20 days.
The NSR runs along Russia’s Arctic coast between the Atlantic and Pacific and is one of the shortest maritime routes between Asia and Europe. It can significantly reduce transit times compared with routes through the Suez Canal or around the Cape of Good Hope. Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom, which oversees the NSR, said it had issued permits for seven Chinese vessels to use the route to Europe.
Sea Legend is not the first company to use the NSR. According to Allianz Commercial, 23 container ships used the route in 2025, up from 15 in 2024. However, major shipping companies including CMA CGM, MSC, and Hapag-Lloyd have pledged to avoid Arctic transoceanic routes because of concerns that increased shipping activity could damage the fragile Arctic ecosystem and accelerate ice loss.
China has increasingly recognized the Arctic’s economic, scientific, and strategic importance. Although China has no Arctic territory, it became an observer of the Arctic Council in 2013 and has promoted an “Ice Silk Road” as an extension of its Belt and Road Initiative. Greater use of the NSR could provide China with an alternative route to Europe that is less dependent on traditional maritime chokepoints.
Source: Epoch Times, August 18, 2026
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/26/8/17/n14831781.htm