The China-Europe Arctic express route was launched last week with the departure of the container ship Istanbul Bridge from Ningbo-Zhoushan Port in Zhejiang province, with as destination the Port of Felixstowe, the largest container port in the UK. Taking the Arctic route north of Russia, the cargo will arrive in Felixstowe in 18 days, setting a new record for shipping time from Ningbo to Europe. This Arctic route links major Chinese ports including Ningbo, Shanghai, Qingdao, and Dalian on one end, and key European ports such as Felixstowe in the UK, Rotterdam in the Netherlands, Hamburg in Germany, and Gdańsk in Poland. It is the fastest container shipping route between China and Europe's main ports. By crossing the Arctic Ocean, the route significantly shortens the transport time, giving Chinese companies a valuable edge in aligning with Europe's peak stocking season for Christmas.
“The cargo on board covers a wide range of goods, including daily necessities, clothing, and components, as well as emerging products such as energy storage cabinets and power batteries. Once it arrives, it will be distributed across Europe,” Zhou Xiaoping, Deputy Director of Daxie Customs, a subsidiary of Ningbo Customs, told the Global Times. The European Union is currently the largest trading partner of Ningbo Port. In the first eight months of this year, the total value of imports and exports between Ningbo Port and the EU reached CNY330.74 billion, a year-on-year increase of 12%, accounting for about 18% of Ningbo Port's total foreign trade. When talking about the advantage of this express compared with traditional routes, Li Xiaobin, Chief Operating Officer of Sea Legend, told the Global Times that the China-Europe Arctic Express Route is shorter in distance and highly efficient, significantly improving timeliness while reducing costs and enhancing the speed of logistics supply chains. The route also offers a relatively safe geopolitical environment. “The regions it passes through are politically and economically stable, which reduces risks such as piracy, congestion, and the spillover of conflicts. This enhances the safety of shipping fleets, opens up the Ice Silk Road, and secures the third corridor of the China-Europe supply chain," explained Li.
Zhou Chujing, Logistics Procurement Manager at Sigenergy, a smart manufacturing hub in Nantong, Jiangsu province, told the Global Times that his shipment consists of household energy storage equipment, with each container valued at about USD300,000, to be exported via the Netherlands to various parts of Europe. “The main reason for choosing the China-Europe Arctic express route is its favorable transit time, which greatly benefits the entire marketing chain,” Zhou noted. In 2018, China released a white paper titled “China's Arctic Policy,” saying that China hopes to work with all parties to build a “Polar Silk Road” through developing the Arctic shipping routes.
