Chinese shipping company Sealegend Shipping announced the launch of its first weekly freight voyage to Europe, which will go along the Northern Sea Route (NSR) on the Russian Arctic coast.
According to China Central Television, the Chinese container ship Dubai Tower is carrying energy storage units, traction batteries, photovoltaic modules, and other alternative energy equipment components to Europe.
The vessel will call at European ports such as Felixstowe, Rotterdam, Hamburg, and Gdynia. Compared to the traditional 40-day voyage through the Suez Canal, the Arctic route takes only 20 days, almost cutting the transit time in half. Due to ice conditions, the annual window for the Arctic express route is scheduled from July to October.
The first vessel set off for Europe from the Chinese port of Ningbo-Zhoushan on the route that China calls the “Arctic China-Europe Express” on September 22, 2025. The container ship reached the UK in 20 days.
The NSR is a shipping route and the main maritime artery in the Russian Arctic. It runs along Russia's northern coast through the seas of the Arctic Ocean. The length of the NSR from the Kara Gates Strait to the Gulf of Providence is 5,600 km.
Alex Shishlo, Editor in Chief of the European Bureau, Rough&Polished
