A Chinese shipping company launched container shipping services from China to Europe via the Northern Sea Route this past Saturday (August 15). The company announced that the route will run once a week, operating for 7 weeks, continuing until early October. However, this route has raised concerns about environmental protection in the Arctic.
The company in question is a Chinese shipping company called “Sea Legend”. On Saturday evening at 7 o’clock, the “Dubai Tower” cargo ship, under Sea Legend, departed from the Ningbo Zhoushan Port and is expected to arrive at the Port of Felixstowe in the UK in about 20 days.
This route utilizes the Northern Sea Route, also known as the Arctic Shipping Route, developed by Russia to evade Western blockades. The Northern Sea Route starts from the western border of Europe and Russia, traverses the Barents Sea, Kara Sea, among others, and eventually reaches Asia through the Bering Strait, offering one of the shortest maritime transport distances between Europe and Asia. It cuts about half the time compared to the traditional Suez route and is approximately 30 days faster than circumnavigating the Cape of Good Hope.
According to reports from Reuters, Russia’s state nuclear energy giant, Rosatom, responsible for operating the Arctic Northern Sea Route, issued transit permits for seven Chinese vessels to pass through the route to reach Europe.
This is not the first time that cargo ships have traveled through the Northern Sea Route. Other shipping companies have previously used the Arctic Shipping Route, with Danish giant Maersk being the first company to do so in 2018.
In response to a suspected Russian drone invasion of Polish airspace on September 9, 2025, Poland closed all border crossings between Poland and Belarus from September 12 onwards citing the need to respond to the joint Russian-Belarusian military exercise “West-2025”, disrupting the Central European Railway service. Two weeks later, on September 23, the “Istanbul Bridge” cargo ship under Sea Legend conducted a trial run on this route.
As per a shipping analysis report released in June 2025 by the commercial insurance agency Allianz Commercial, there were a total of 23 container ships passing through the Northern Sea Route in 2025, compared to 15 in 2024.
Nevertheless, many shipping companies have pledged not to conduct regular operations in the region due to environmental concerns since such activities could accelerate Arctic ice melt.
German media reported that major shipping companies such as France’s CMA CGM, Switzerland-based Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), and Germany’s Hapag-Lloyd have signed a commitment initiated by the U.S. non-profit organization Ocean Conservancy to “avoid using the Arctic Ocean routes” (including the Northern Sea Route).
The organization also highlighted on its official website that though the Northern Sea Route could shorten transportation time, increased shipping activities may pose significant risks to the Arctic ecosystem and lead to severe environmental impacts.
China does not border the Arctic region nor hold territorial sovereignty claims there; however, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) recognizes the region’s potential, scientific research, and strategic value. In 2013, the CCP obtained observer status at the Arctic Council under the designation of a “near-Arctic state.”
German media reported that China (CCP) understands the strategic importance of the Northern Sea Route. Hence, it is vigorously promoting the “Polar Silk Road” with Russia’s Northern Sea Route at its core as an extension of its Belt and Road Initiative, aiming to leverage, influence, and control the maritime route connecting East Asia and Europe.
Niels Rasmussen, Chief Shipping Analyst at the shipping industry organization BIMCO, stated in a report that the navigation window before October 3 generally coincides with a period where ships can navigate without the need for icebreaker assistance. However, he noted that the cargo volume carried by the ships operated by Sea Legend accounts for less than 0.5% of the total weekly container volume between East and Southeast Asia and Northern Europe.
He further highlighted that the service on this route operates for only 7 weeks, supporting a transport volume “less than 0.1% of the annual container transport volume of the above two regions.”
Rico Luman, Senior Economist at ING, mentioned to German media that “niche shipping companies” from friendly countries and focused on niche markets may increasingly attempt to utilize this route in the future.
However, he emphasized, “I do not believe that this route will become a truly competitive alternative, neither now nor within at least the next decade, when it comes to competitive shipping.”