China is preparing to launch its first regular container shipping service through the Arctic this week, giving ships travelling between Asia and Europe another route at a time when security concerns continue to affect major maritime chokepoints.
Chinese shipping company Sea Legend will operate the weekly service between Ningbo, China, and Felixstowe in the United Kingdom. The route will pass through Russia’s Northern Sea Route (NSR), along the country’s Arctic coast.
Sea Legend has named the service the “Ice Silk Road”. Its official name is the China-Europe Arctic Express.
The Arctic route can reduce the usual sailing time between Ningbo and Felixstowe from about 40 days to roughly 20 days, depending on conditions. It also allows ships to avoid routes such as the Bab al-Mandab Strait and the Red Sea.
“There’s been a definite increase in traffic through the Arctic and Northern Sea Route,” said Rahul Khanna, global head of marine risk consulting at
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