With Arctic navigation season in full swing, Chinese shipping lines are accelerating their use of Russia’s Northern Sea Route (NSR) to move goods between Asia and Europe, bypassing traditional routes via the Suez Canal.
Newnew Shipping, a fast-growing Chinese operator, is leading the charge, scaling up its Arctic operations after completing 13 transits along the NSR in 2024. This year, the company has at least two container vessels currently underway through the Arctic, while three more are cleared to join. The carrier transported over 20,000 TEUs last year and is deepening its collaboration with Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom to enable year-round operations by 2030.
The 3,534 TEU Newnew Polar Bear departed Shanghai on July 16, heading toward Russia’s Arkhangelsk port following a stop in Nakhodka Bay. It’s expected to arrive by August 15. This marks the vessel’s first Arctic return since its controversial involvement in the 2023 Balticconnector pipeline incident. The ship allegedly dragged its anchor for hundreds of miles in the Baltic Sea, damaging subsea infrastructure. The captain remains on trial in China.
Another vessel, Newnew Star, departed Tianjin on July 20 en route to Saint Petersburg via the Arctic. The journey is expected to take four weeks—cutting up to 20 days compared to the traditional Suez route.
Elsewhere, Fujian Huihai Shipping Co Ltd has joined the Arctic fray with its 2,500 TEU feeder vessel Hui Da 9, now en route from Saint Petersburg to Rizhao, China. This is the first known NSR voyage by the Fujian-based company and highlights the growing appeal of the route among newer operators. The NSR can reduce the sailing time between northern Europe and East Asia by nearly three weeks.
AIS tracking confirms an uptick in container ship activity through the Arctic this August. Authorities have granted permits to over a dozen Chinese vessels for seasonal transit, including Newnew Panda 1, Xin Xin Tian 2, Xin Xin Hai 1, and the Istanbul Bridge—formerly Flying Fish 1. The Istanbul Bridge, a 4,890 TEU Panamax-class container ship, made headlines last year as the largest of its kind to complete the Arctic passage.
Sea Legend Shipping, a niche Chinese carrier, is now preparing to launch a direct Arctic container service this September. The planned 18-day rotation will connect Qingdao, Shanghai, and Ningbo with European ports Felixstowe, Rotterdam, Hamburg, and Gdansk. It will be the first NSR-based liner service to cover multiple Chinese and European ports on a fixed schedule.
Industry sources say the inaugural voyage is already fully booked—an indicator of strong demand for reliable alternatives amid ongoing disruptions in the Red Sea and traffic bottlenecks through the Suez Canal.
Although the NSR remains navigable only between July and November, Chinese companies are banking on technological upgrades and infrastructure expansion to extend this window. Newnew Shipping, through Hainan Yangpu Newnew Shipping, plans to invest up to $2.5 billion in Arctic logistics over the coming years. This includes terminal development at Arkhangelsk and the commissioning of five Arc7 ice-class container ships—each with a capacity of 4,400 TEU.
According to Vladimir Panov, a representative of Rosatom, design and construction discussions for the Arc7 fleet are well underway. The ships are expected to be delivered starting in 2027 and could support the transition to year-round Arctic container traffic.
Permits for non-ice-class vessels to operate during the shoulder months of June and November reflect diminishing Arctic sea ice conditions. This loosening constraint, however, comes with new operational risks, especially for vessels not designed to withstand shifting pack ice and extreme temperatures.
As of late May, Russian authorities reported 196 applications for NSR transit this year—representing a 50% increase in foreign shipping interest compared to 2024. Containerized cargo remains a strategic growth target, with total NSR cargo volumes expected to exceed 44 million tonnes in 2025.
The Arctic’s growing role in global logistics isn’t without setbacks. Environmental hazards, regulatory scrutiny, and political friction continue to shadow operations. Despite that, the 2025 season is already shaping up to be a record-breaker in terms of container flows, vessel permits, and international engagement along the NSR.
