GDANSK - On Sunday, the first container ship, the Istanbul Bridge, arrived at the port of Gdansk, northern Poland, marking the beginning of operations on the Arctic container express route between China and Europe, according to the Xinhua news agency.

According to port authorities, the ship docked at the Baltic Hub terminal shortly before 6:00 AM, with a slight delay due to sea conditions. Loading and unloading of cargo began around 7:00 AM.

The vessel departed from the port of Ningbo-Zhoushan in eastern China's Zhejiang province on September 23, carrying approximately 4,000 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) of cargo. During its journey, it stopped at ports in the United Kingdom and Germany before arriving in Poland. After unloading in Gdansk, the ship is scheduled to depart for the Netherlands on Sunday evening.

The China-Europe Arctic express route utilizes the Northwest Passage through the Arctic, directly to Europe, significantly reducing travel time compared to traditional routes – approximately 40 days via the Suez Canal and 50 days around the Cape of Good Hope. The Istanbul Bridge reached its first European port, the British port of Felixstowe, in just 20 days – a time comparable to, or even faster than, the China-Europe rail freight connection, which typically takes around 25 days.

According to Li Xiaobin, the operating director of Sea Legend Line Limited, the company operating the route, the marine and temperature conditions on the Arctic route are ideal for transporting goods sensitive to temperature and time.

"The low temperatures help preserve certain high-tech components," he told Xinhua.

The Sea Legend Line plans to introduce regular summer sailings on this route by 2026. During the winter months, when navigation in the Arctic is impossible, the company intends to expand its network of express services to Eastern Europe.

According to the news agencies Reuters and Arctic Today, this is the first commercial voyage of the newly established China-Europe Arctic Express Route, which passes through the Northern Sea Route (NSR) along the Russian Arctic coast. This project, led by the Chinese company Sea Legend Shipping, aims to reduce transportation time between Asia and Europe by more than 40% and simultaneously reduce CO₂ emissions by up to 50% compared to the traditional route via the Suez Canal.

Strategic and Logistical Significance

The Arctic route represents an opportunity for China to diversify its transportation corridors to Europe. Previously, most exports were dependent on the Suez Canal or the rail network through Russia and Central Asia. The new sea route is therefore not only a logistical but also a geopolitical milestone – it allows for a reduction in dependence on narrow and congested transportation routes.

Gdansk is becoming one of the key hubs for distributing goods to Central and Eastern Europe, which could increase its importance in the European network of seaports in the future.

Risks and Limitations

Experts, however, point out that this route is seasonal – usable primarily from June to October, when the sea is sufficiently free of ice. During the winter months, the NSR is mostly impassable.

Furthermore, geopolitical and environmental issues remain: a portion of the route passes through Russian territorial waters, where strict regulations apply for transit, and insurance is significantly more expensive. Critics also point out that increased shipping traffic could have an impact on Arctic ecosystems.

Future Prospects

According to Sea Legend Line, this route is planned to be expanded with additional summer voyages in 2026. The company is also in discussions with European partners regarding the use of environmentally friendly ships of the next generation and the equipping of the Arctic fleet with hybrid propulsion systems.

If the project proves successful, the Arctic route could become an alternative corridor for approximately 10% of China-Europe maritime trade by 2030, according to estimates from the Maritime Silk Road Institute in Shanghai.

gnews.cz - GH