A Hong Kong-based Safetrans Line operated containership has departed China for Europe via the Northern Sea Route, marking the start of a new fast-track Arctic service between East and West, reports Oslo’s TradeWinds.
The 4,890-TEU Istanbul Bridge (built 2000) left Ningbo-Zhoushan Port on September 22 and is bound for the Port of Felixstowe and expected to arrive October 10.
The new China-Europe Arctic Express route, dubbed the Polar Silk Road, is backed by Chinese company Sea Legend. A launch ceremony was held in China to mark the maiden voyage, which aims to cut transit time to 18 days.
The same journey via the Suez Canal would take around 40 days, with an additional 10 days if routed via the Cape of Good Hope. The service is designed to connect Chinese ports including Qingdao, Dalian, Shanghai and Ningbo with western Europe.
The Istanbul Bridge’s voyage is timed to support Europe’s pre-Christmas inventory build-up. The route will initially operate seasonally due to winter ice conditions, but China plans to enable year-round sailings by 2030.
In 2018, Maersk conducted a trial voyage using its ice-class vessel 3,600-TEU Venta Maersk along the Northern Sea Route, which runs over Russia’s Arctic coast.
While the journey was completed successfully, Maersk said the route was not commercially viable for regular container shipping.
Factors such as limited infrastructure, unpredictable ice conditions, and seasonal constraints made it unsuitable for consistent operations, and the company stated it had no plans to pursue regular service along the route.
