The container ship Istanbul Bridge has completed a voyage from Ningbo – Zhoushan port to Felixstowe via the Arctic in just 21 days.
The 2000-built container ship departed Ningbo – Zhoushan on 22 September marking the start of China-Europe Arctic Express Route as the world’s first container shipping route via the Arctic.
According to PoleStar’s PurpleTrac the Istanbul Bridge arrived in the Port of Felixstowe on the evening of 13 October.
The voyage took longer than the initially anticipated 18 days, however, took five days off the previous record in late 2024 from Ningbo-Zhoushan Port to Wilhelmshaven Port in Germany which took 26 days.
Compared with traditional routes, this express route can shorten the journey by 22 days and reduce one-way carbon emissions by approximately 50%. However, shipping via the NSR remains controversial due the environmental impact on the delicate Arctic eco-system, and the lack of support in the highly isolated region if vessels get into trouble or are involved in a casualty.
In the first half of the summer-autumn navigation season of the NSR up to the end of August there were 52 transits according to the Centre for High North Logistics (CHNL).
