BEIJING: A Chinese shipping company is set to launch a regular container service to Europe via Russia’s Northern Sea Route, probably this week, with eight weekly sailings planned during this year’s Arctic navigation season – part of a broader push by Chinese carriers to move Arctic shipping from sporadic voyages toward larger-scale and more regular commercial operations.
The service is expected to add a faster supplementary corridor for Eurasian trade, shortening voyages between Chinese ports and key Baltic gateways by nearly one-third, as businesses seek more diversified and resilient supply chains amid rising risks along traditional maritime routes, industry analysts said.
Sea Legend Shipping is launching its 2026 China-Europe Arctic Express, or CAX, service this month. According to the company’s published schedule, the service will run eight fixed weekly sailings from August 15 through October 3, using seven vessels and targeting transit times of around 20 to 22 days, according to media reports.
Unlike previous Arctic container voyages that were largely arranged as individual sailings, the new service has fixed departure dates, dedicated vessel deployment and a planned transit time, effectively putting the commercial repeatability of Arctic container shipping to the test, analysts said.
From a single-voyage test in 2025 to regular weekly sailings during the 2026 Arctic navigation window, CAX is entering a much broader test of commercial operations. Chinese experts said the start of regular services carries multiple implications, from diversifying shipping routes and reducing exposure to geopolitical risks, to supporting regional trade cooperation and economic development.
The new service will consolidate cargo from multiple Chinese ports before calling at Ningbo-Zhoushan Port and sailing for Felixstowe in the UK, with connections to other European ports including Rotterdam, Netherlands, Wilhelmshaven in Germany, and Poland’s Gdynia, according to an article published by Chinese maritime industry portal CNSS.
According to media report, Sea Legend has deployed seven container vessels ranging from 1,384 to 4,890 twenty-foot equivalent units, or TEUs.
The first sailing is to be operated by the Dubai Tower, which had originally been scheduled to leave Ningbo on August 15 and due to arrive at Felixstowe on September 7, according to the company’s published CAX schedule.
Russia’s state atomic energy corporation Rosatom has issued permits for seven Sea Legend vessels to transit the Northern Sea Route, RT reported on August 8, citing Rosatom CEO Aleksey Likhachev. –The Daily Mail-Global Times news exchange item
