The container ship Istanbul Bridge completed its loading operations at the northern area of Ningbo-Zhoushan Port on Monday, and will depart for the Port of Felixstowe, the largest container port in the UK, which marked the official launch of the world’s first China-Europe Arctic express route. In just 18 days, the cargo onboard will arrive directly at Felixstowe, setting a new record for shipping time from Ningbo to Europe.
The Global Times learned that 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 on the other.
It is the fastest container shipping route between China and Europe’s main base ports. By crossing the Arctic Ocean, the route significantly shortens the journey and 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 categories, 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 Global Times learned from Ningbo Customs that 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 330.74 billion yuan ($46.5 billion), a year-on-year increase of 12 percent, accounting for about 18 percent 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.
As a shipper, Zhou Chujing, logistics procurement manager at Sigenergy, a smart manufacturing hub in Nantong, East China’s Jiangsu Province, told the Global Times that this shipment consists of household energy storage equipment, with each container valued at about $300,000, 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.
The express route not only significantly shortens the journey and transportation time, helping domestic companies reduce costs and improve efficiency, but also carries important strategic significance, analysts said.
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.
The China-Europe Arctic Express route helps reduce the need for gauge changes on the Europe-bound land railways, cutting train dwell times and thereby improving economic efficiency. At the same time, shipping via the high seas avoids the inconveniences caused by sudden incidents arising from geopolitical conflicts in Europe, Jian Junbo, director of the Center for China-Europe Relations at Fudan University’s Institute of International Studies, told the Global Times.
He also noted that the route can also be an important public good contributed by China to the international community, and countries such as Japan and South Korea can also take part by cooperating with China in developing the route. “China’s ‘Ice Silk Road’ aims to build international shipping lanes together. We welcome goods from Japan and South Korea to pass through this route, with all parties jointly safeguarding regional stability for mutual benefit,” Jian said.
“This route significantly shortens the shipping cycle, making it highly attractive for time-sensitive goods and cross-border e-commerce,” Sun Xuejun, Party Secretary and Chairman of Zhejiang Seaport Logistics Group Co., Ltd., said in an interview with the Global Times, noting that the route offers a relatively stable sailing environment with less likelihood of disruptions from unexpected events.
Strategically, it can effectively reduce the risk of blockades or restrictions, ensuring greater autonomy and security in transportation. In the long run, it will also promote diversification in trade patterns and strengthen the resilience of the global trade system against risks, said Sun.
Sun noted that the inaugural voyage of the route also marked the completion of the “final piece of the puzzle” for Ningbo-Zhoushan Port’s global shipping network.
From the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian oceans to the Arctic Ocean, Ningbo-Zhoushan Port is now fully connected to all major navigable oceans, further solidifying its position as a hub port, Sun added.
Source: Global Times