The Northern Sea Route, which connects Russia’s European region with the Far East, is being used more extensively for commercial shipping between China and Europe. The Arctic route passes through the Barents, Kara, Laptev, East Siberian and Chukchi seas before reaching the Bering Sea.
The route between the Kara Gates Strait and Provideniya Bay is approximately 5,600 kilometers long. Voyages along this route can take 15 to 20 days less than those using the Suez Canal, while in some cases the transit time is nearly halved.
Voyages intensify on the China-Europe route
Chinese container shipping company Sea Legend launched its first regular container service on the Arctic route in August 2026. Known as the “Ice Silk Road,” the route links China with the United Kingdom along Russia’s northern coast.
The first voyage departed from Ningbo-Zhoushan Port on August 15. The container ship Dubai Tower headed for Felixstowe Port in the United Kingdom after calling at European ports. Sea Legend planned to operate eight voyages with seven container ships during the August-October shipping season.
The transit time between Ningbo-Zhoushan and Felixstowe was announced as approximately 20 to 22 days. On the traditional Suez Canal route between China and Northern Europe, sea transport can take 30 to 40 days or longer. Before regular services began, the container ship Istanbul Bridge made a trial voyage between the same two ports in approximately 20 days in 2025.
Moscow and Beijing build an Arctic shipping partnership
NewNew Shipping Line has been expanding container shipping on the Northern Sea Route since 2023. In July 2024, the company launched the “Arctic Express 1” trade route jointly with the Russian side, connecting Chinese ports with Arkhangelsk.
In 2024, Russia’s state-owned company Rosatom and Hainan Yangpu NewNew Shipping signed a memorandum of intent to establish a year-round container service between Russia and China. The plan called for the creation of a joint venture and the construction of high ice-class container ships capable of operating on the Northern Sea Route.
In 2018, Rosatom assumed operator responsibilities for developing the Northern Sea Route’s infrastructure and nuclear icebreaker fleet. According to the agency’s data, the number of voyages by Chinese shipping companies on the route was 7 in 2023, 14 in 2024 and 24 in 2025. The figure is expected to exceed 30 by the end of 2026.
Capacity limits of the Arctic corridor
Arctic studies expert Irina Strelnikova said year-round navigation capabilities must be developed for the Northern Sea Route to become a predictable and regular international corridor. Strelnikova said extending the shipping window, particularly in summer and autumn, would help transport plans be made earlier.
Strelnikova said the nuclear icebreaker fleet must be developed so that large-tonnage vessels can navigate difficult ice conditions. She also highlighted the need to modernize infrastructure and expand digital services that monitor ice and weather conditions.
The expert said transit voyages alone would not be enough to develop regular container shipping and that shipowners also needed a stable schedule they could plan in advance.
Strelnikova said the Northern Sea Route was not expected to compete with the Suez Canal in terms of cargo volume in the near future. However, regular services between China and Europe are increasing the importance of the Arctic route as an additional international transport corridor.
South Korea and India monitor the route
At the end of August, South Korea sent the container ship PanStar Acro from Busan to Europe on a commercial trial voyage. The ship called at the ports of Felixstowe, Rotterdam and Gdansk while traveling via the Northern Sea Route. Seoul views Arctic shipping as one element of its goal of transforming Busan into an international logistics hub.
India plans to conduct its first pilot transit voyage via the Northern Sea Route in 2027. For Russia, the Arctic route is strategically important not only for international transit shipping but also for delivering essential goods to the northern regions and transporting the country’s resources.
Sanctions complicate shipping
Strelnikova said Western sanctions had made it more difficult to develop shipping on the Northern Sea Route but had not caused a decline in the route’s total cargo volume. She said cargo traffic on the route had increased approximately tenfold over the past 10 years.
Strelnikova said the Northern Sea Route handled approximately 37.8 million tons of cargo last year. The volume in the current period has reached a level approximately 15 percent higher than in the same period last year.
The expert said the route’s economic appeal could not be explained solely by instability in the Middle East. Strelnikova said the shorter distance could generate savings in fuel and freight costs and described the Northern Sea Route as an international transport corridor operated under the national legal regime established by Russia.
