Two Chinese container ships have set sail from Taicang Port and Rizhao Port respectively, choosing Russia's Northern Sea Route to Europe to shorten the voyage and avoid risky waters. The two ships belong to Xin Xin Shipping, which has been operating on the Arctic route since last year and plans to expand its business. At the same time, several Panamax container ships of Hong Kong Safetrans Line have also been approved to sail on this route.
Two Chinese container ships have set sail from Taicang Port and Rizhao Port near Shanghai respectively, embarking on a new voyage to the Arctic, aiming to open up a more efficient international transportation channel. The two ships chose to use Russia's Northern Sea Route as a shortcut connecting Chinese ports with European destinations. This move not only avoids possible risky waters such as the Red Sea, but also eliminates the need to detour around the distant Cape of Good Hope, thus significantly shortening the voyage distance.
The "Xin Xin Hai 1" was the first to set off on July 5, crossing the Bering Strait and entering the Arctic Northern Sea Route. The ship weighs 21,279 deadweight tons (DWT) and has a capacity of 1220TEU. Given that the navigation conditions in the Arctic waters, especially in the East Siberian Sea, are extremely bad in summer, although most of the sea ice has melted, the "Xin Xin Hai 1" was escorted by the nuclear-powered icebreaker "Siberia" to ensure safe navigation.
Following closely, another sister ship "Xin Xin Hai 2" also set out from Rizhao Port a week later, in mid-July, also heading to the Bering Strait and traveling along the Arctic route. The ship has a deadweight of 29,008 tons and is operated by the same NewNew Shipping Line as the "Xin Xin Hai 1". NewNew Shipping has been operating routes in the Arctic since last summer and plans to expand its business this year, although one of its ships (the "NewNew Polar Bear") caused controversy last year over damage to the Baltic Sea's submarine infrastructure during its voyage.
The final destination of the two ships is the port of Arkhangelsk in northwestern Russia, and they will then travel to other ports in the Baltic Sea. It is worth noting that in addition to the vessels of Xinxin Shipping, several Panamax container ships, such as "Flying Fish 1", "SFT Turkey" and "SFT Egypt", all of which belong to Hong Kong's Safetrans Line, have also been approved to sail along this route, becoming larger container transport ships that can cross the Arctic route.
Safetrans Line, registered in Hong Kong, focuses on operating Russian routes and is committed to creating a stable and efficient all-water delivery channel from China to St. Petersburg/Shilla for customers. In addition, Safetrans has also expanded routes from Egypt and Turkey to St. Petersburg/Shilla to meet the diverse needs of customers.
However, if the appropriate ice class classification is not obtained, "SFT Turkey" and "SFT Egypt" will have to wait until after August 1 to start operations.
Among the major global container shipping operators, Denmark's Maersk is still the only company that has successfully completed the Arctic route voyage, and its "Venta Maersk" completed this feat as early as August 2018. In contrast, despite the significant economic and geographical advantages of the Arctic route, several operators including MSC, CMA CGM and Happag Lloyd have publicly stated that they will abandon the Arctic route due to environmental considerations. MSC reiterated this decision last week.
