The peak season for Arctic shipping, which lasts only four months a year, is approaching. Many Chinese shipping companies have arranged their capacity to actively deploy on this route, seizing the fleeting “window period”
Ningbo Zhoushan Port – Felixstowe Port
From July to October 2025, the Arctic shipping route will experience a brief peak season for passage. At this time, the Arctic is in summer, and the thickness of floating ice in most waters is generally less than 0.3 meters. This period is known as the annual “window period” in the industry.
This year, Chinese shipping company Yangpu Liangen Shipping Co., Ltd. (NEW NEW SHIPPING) is expected to have 5 ships put into the Arctic route. Its own ship, the “New New Arctic Ship,” departed from Tianjin in July and successfully docked at the northern Russian port of Arkhangelsk in just 3 weeks, completing its peak season “maiden voyage”. Another Chinese funded company, Haijie Shipping (Hong Kong) Co., Ltd. (Haijie Shipping), has a 4890TEU container ship that officially departed from Zhoushan Port in Ningbo on September 20th to Fleckstowe Port in the UK. This “China Europe Arctic Express” route only takes 18 days. Li Xiaobin, Chief Operating Officer of Haijie Shipping, told this magazine that currently, not only Haijie Shipping and Liangen Shipping, but also Chinese shipping companies such as Anfu Shipping, are seizing the “peak season” for Arctic shipping routes and turning their attention to this “new blue ocean”.
The Arctic shipping route continues to ‘heat up’
In the tide of global warming continuously changing the navigability of the ocean, the Arctic shipping route, a “legendary place” blocked by thick ice, is quietly shedding its mysterious veil. The Arctic shipping route mainly includes the Northeast Passage, the Northwest Passage, and the Central Passage that crosses the North Pole. Among the three shipping routes, the Northeast Passage is of the greatest significance to China. It is the shortest sea route connecting Europe and Asia, starting from the Barents Sea, passing through the northern part of the Eurasian continent, and crossing the Bering Strait to reach the Pacific Ocean. The shortest route from China to Europe currently passes through the Strait of Malacca and the Suez Canal, with a distance of approximately 10000 nautical miles. The Northeast Passage shortens this distance to around 7000 nautical miles, reducing the sailing distance by about one-third.
In addition to the advantage of voyage, the continuous warming of the Arctic also makes commercial shipping dare to put Arctic shipping on the agenda. According to the “Annual Report on Polar Climate Change (2024)” released by the Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences, the warming in the Arctic is 2.9 times faster than the global warming rate during the same period. In August 2024, the monthly average sea surface temperature in the Barents Sea reached a historical high, nearly 3 ℃ higher. In 2009, two German bulk carriers arrived in the Netherlands via the Northeast Passage from Busan, South Korea, proving for the first time that the “ice curtain” could penetrate. However, the melting of ice does not mean a smooth road ahead. Taking the Northeast Passage as an example, its annual “shipping season” only lasts for four months from July to October, and other times it still needs to be escorted by icebreakers.
In September 2024, the Arctic Shipping Cooperation Subcommittee was officially established within the framework of the China Russia Prime Ministers’ Regular Meeting Committee, with the aim of turning the Arctic Shipping Channel into an international transportation corridor. According to data from the Russian Ministry of Far East and Arctic Development, the freight volume along the Arctic Northeast Passage has increased from 4 million tons in 2014 to 37.9 million tons in 2024 (including 3.1 million tons of transit cargo), and Russia expects the cargo volume along the route to reach 220 million tons by 2035.
In May 2025, President Xi Jinping once again emphasized the need to strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation in the Arctic shipping route during his visit to Russia. After a month, the Russian Atomic Energy Group held a conference on “Open Economy of the Arctic Passage” within the framework of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. Chinese Ambassador to Russia Zhang Hanhui shares achievements in Arctic shipping: Chinese and Russian companies have opened container shipping routes to the Arctic and completed 20 round-trip voyages. Products from China are transported to Russia along the “Ice Silk Road”, and Russian timber, pulp and other products are continuously sold to the Chinese market. In August 2025, the “New Polar Bear” vessel under Liangen Shipping successfully docked at the Russian Arctic port of Arkhangelsk, marking the official start of the summer sailing season for the Arctic route in 2025. According to Arkhangelsk, it is expected that about 20 Chinese ships will arrive in port through the Northeast Passage this year, almost doubling the number from 2024. At present, more than 10 ships have been approved to navigate in the “shipping season” of the Northeast Passage. Zhang Hanhui stated that China is willing to work together with Russia to explore new paths for infrastructure development and strive to turn the beautiful vision of building the Arctic shipping route into reality.
Who is seizing the ‘window period’ of passage
Global climate change is reshaping the Arctic shipping landscape, and multiple Chinese shipping companies are taking action. As an enterprise with the China Russia shipping route as its core operating backbone, although Liangen Shipping has only been established for 4 years, it has already operated 10 modern container ships. Its official website shows that the company’s service network covers 10 shipping routes and port terminals, and its business radiates to multiple countries and regions; The total number of containers in the fleet is nearly 60000, with a total container capacity of nearly 30000 standard container spaces. The annual domestic and international trade shipment volume is 120000 FEU. Relying on stable transportation capacity and a comprehensive port cooperation system, Liangen Shipping has gradually established an efficient and reliable brand image in the international shipping market.
In terms of Arctic route layout, Liangen Shipping collaborated with a subsidiary of Rosatom, the Russian State Atomic Energy Corporation, in June 2024 to jointly develop the “Arctic Express Line 1”. The company’s 1220TEU “New New Sea 1” vessel has successfully completed its maiden voyage, departing from Tianjin Port and arriving at the northern Russian port of Arkhangelsk and the northwestern port of St. Petersburg. In 2024, Liangen Shipping completed 13 voyages through the Northeast Passage, with a cumulative transportation volume exceeding 20000 TEUs. This year, the company further expanded its route network by connecting major Chinese ports such as Shanghai, Ningbo, and Nansha with Arkhangelsk, and investing in a larger 1638TEU container ship, the “New New Polar Bear,” to improve route capacity and service efficiency.
In August 2025, the “New Polar Bear” successfully docked at Arkhangelsk Port, marking the official launch of the Arctic route’s summer sailing season in 2025. This voyage carried a total of 497 containers, including automotive parts, PVC film, and steel, providing key raw material supplies for Russia’s related industries. On the return trip, the ship will load wooden products for export to China. Thanks to the convenience of the Arctic route, the entire journey only takes over 3 weeks, which is significantly shorter than the traditional route that takes nearly 40 days via the Suez Canal.
In addition to actively investing in route operations, Liangen Shipping also plans to further consolidate its layout in the Arctic shipping market through capital cooperation. According to the Kremlin website, at a meeting held on July 24th, Alexander Tsybulsky, the governor of Arkhangelsk Oblast, told Russian President Putin that Liangen Shipping is preparing to invest in the Arkhangelsk deepwater port project in exchange for a 30% stake in the port. Insiders revealed that the two sides will sign a strategic cooperation agreement in the near future. Fan Yuxin, Chairman of Liangen Shipping, stated that the company will use shipping routes as a link to promote cooperation between China and Russia in shipbuilding, energy development, and other fields, and is committed to building the Arctic shipping route into a safe, efficient, and sustainable win-win channel.
In fact, the cooperation between Liangen Shipping and Russia has long been established. In 2024, a subsidiary of the Russian State Atomic Energy Corporation has signed an agreement with Liangen Shipping, expressing its willingness to use the Northern Sea Route to organize container transportation routes between Russian and Chinese ports throughout the year. According to the agreement, both parties will establish a joint shipbuilding enterprise dedicated to designing and constructing high ice class container ships, and jointly managing international container transportation routes. This cooperation model not only helps to enhance the capacity and safety of Arctic shipping routes, but also promotes technological exchanges and industrial cooperation between China and Russia in the field of high-end shipbuilding, laying a solid foundation for the long-term development of Arctic shipping.
While Liangen Shipping is actively expanding its presence, another Chinese funded shipping company has also set its sights on the Arctic route. Haijie Shipping, headquartered in Singapore and controlled by Chinese capital, was relatively low-key in the industry until it entered the public eye after the outbreak of the Red Sea crisis in 2023. At that time, in the face of continuous attacks by the Houthi armed forces in Yemen on passing merchant ships, Haijie Shipping launched the “China Plan” for the Red Sea route with the selling point of “enhanced security and Chinese navy escort”. It completed seven fully loaded voyages that year, demonstrating strong market adaptability and crisis response capabilities.
Nowadays, Haijie Shipping is replicating the same operational logic to the Arctic route. According to ALPHALINER’s statistics, the existing ships of Haijie Shipping are mainly ice strengthened ships built by Chinese shipyards, which have the ability to safely navigate in polar waters. Li Xiaobin told this magazine that the “Istanbul Qiao” ship (formerly known as “Flying Fish 1”), which has been put into operation on the Arctic route, has a container capacity of 4890 TEUs, making it the largest commercial vessel currently in operation on the Arctic route. The ship has had experience in ice navigation and icebreaker coordination under other shipping companies, laying the technical foundation for its formal commercial operation.
On September 20, 2025, the “Istanbul Qiao” ship set sail from Zhoushan Port in Ningbo and sailed directly to Europe via the Arctic Northeast Passage (NSR). According to the route plan, the ship will dock successively at ports such as Qingdao, Shanghai, Ningbo, Frick Sto (UK), Rotterdam (Netherlands), Hamburg (Germany), Gdansk (Poland), etc. Haijie Shipping stated that the estimated voyage from the last port of call in China, Ningbo, to the port of Frixstowe is 18 days, which has a significant advantage in terms of timeliness compared to traditional China Europe transportation routes. In contrast, the China Europe freight train usually takes more than 25 days, the sea voyage through the Suez Canal takes more than 40 days, and the route around the Cape of Good Hope affected by the Red Sea waterway crisis takes more than 50 days.
The time advantage of the Arctic route is not only reflected in transportation speed, but also in logistics costs and market responsiveness. Haijie Shipping pointed out that the freight cost of the Arctic route is between the China Europe freight train and traditional sea freight, especially suitable for time sensitive and high value-added goods, such as cross-border e-commerce packages, energy storage cabinets, power batteries and other products. The marketing director of the company revealed that all cabins on its maiden voyage have been fully booked with “high-value goods”, including the third quarter new products of a consumer electronics brand in East China, peak season restocking of fast fashion cross-border e-commerce, and urgently needed precision parts for European car manufacturers. This market reaction indicates that the Arctic route is gradually gaining recognition from international trade customers and becoming a new choice for high-end logistics transportation. Li Xiaobin stated that as the international community actively promotes the improvement of Arctic shipping routes, security measures, icebreaker technology upgrades, as well as the extension of navigation windows caused by climate change and the continuous investment of China and Russia in polar infrastructure construction, the Arctic shipping route is gradually transforming from a “future option” to a feasible international logistics channel. Faced with this new blue ocean, Li Xiaobin has made it clear that Haijie Shipping will increase its capacity investment in the Arctic route next year, from 1 ship in 2025 to 4-5 ships in 2026.
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs also holds a positive attitude towards the development of the Arctic shipping route. At the regular press conference on September 19th, a reporter asked about the trial voyage of a new Arctic route by a Chinese cargo ship and China’s cooperation plans with Russia in this field. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian stated that China is an important stakeholder in Arctic affairs and has always followed the principles of “respect, cooperation, win-win, and sustainability” in participating in Arctic affairs. China is committed to strengthening cooperation with all parties, maintaining Arctic peace and stability, and promoting sustainable development. Lin Jian pointed out that in recent years, the international community has paid increasing attention to the utilization prospects of the Arctic shipping route, which has the potential to become an important route for international trade. China is willing to work with Arctic coastal countries, including Russia, and other interested countries to strengthen international cooperation in the construction and operation of Arctic shipping infrastructure, and jointly promote the development, utilization, and environmental protection of shipping routes.
Industry insiders believe that the intensive layout of Chinese shipping companies on the Arctic route marks the acceleration of commercialization of this once niche polar channel. The opening of the Arctic route not only shortens the maritime distance for China Europe trade, but also opens up new paths for economic and trade cooperation between China and Europe, Russia, and other Arctic countries. Against the backdrop of global supply chain restructuring and international logistics pattern adjustment, the Arctic route is expected to become a “new artery” connecting the Asian and European continents, injecting new impetus into the development of international trade. At the same time, this trend also puts forward higher requirements for polar shipping safety, environmental protection, and international cooperation, requiring joint efforts from all parties to ensure the sustainable development of the Arctic shipping routes.
From Liangen Shipping to Haijie Shipping, Chinese shipping companies have demonstrated diversified development strategies in their layout of the Arctic route. Whether through capital cooperation in port construction or investing in specialized ice zone vessels to enhance operational capabilities, these measures have laid the foundation for the maturity of the Arctic shipping market. With the addition of more shipping companies and the continuous improvement of route networks, the Arctic route is expected to become an important part of the global logistics system in the next 10 years, providing new support for China’s foreign trade development.
The road to the “main line” is full of difficulties
Although commercial exploration of the Arctic shipping route has made some progress with global climate change, the extreme characteristics of the natural environment still pose the most direct operational obstacle. In September 2025, two maritime accidents thousands of kilometers apart provided a clear footnote to this: the Omani Suez tanker Lynx was stranded in late season sea ice in the high latitude waters of 72 degrees north latitude in northern Russia, while the Dutch cargo ship Thamesborg ran aground in the Franklin Strait of the Northwest Passage in Canada. These two almost simultaneous crises have revealed the fragile reality behind the apparent improvement in Arctic shipping – even in the context of climate change, natural risks in Arctic waters remain difficult to predict and control. The change in ice conditions in the Chukotka Sea in 2024 has shown warning signals, as the early formation of sea ice in the area has shortened the shipping season by about 6 weeks. The incident of the “Lynx” being trapped further proves that even as the traditional navigation window ends in September, sudden sea ice can still cause a 274 meter long large oil tanker to come to a standstill. The extreme low temperature environment poses equally severe challenges to ship equipment. Winter temperatures in the Arctic can drop as low as -32 ℃, and the frequent occurrence of advection fog in summer can result in up to 15-20 foggy days per month in areas such as the East Siberian Sea. These factors together constitute fundamental obstacles to commercial operation.
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