China to launch weekly container service via Northern Sea Route

China's Sealegend Shipping is set to launch the first regular weekly container service to Europe via Russia's Northern Sea Route (NSR) starting in August 2026. Rosatom CEO Aleksey Likhachev announced that Russia has already approved permits for seven vessels to transit the route.

While previous shipments through the Arctic were largely experimental, the new schedule aims for weekly voyages between August and October, provided ice conditions allow. The plan involves a fleet of seven small-to-medium container ships operating eight voyages. This follows a successful test in late 2025 where a shipment reached Felixstowe Port in the United Kingdom in 20 days, significantly faster than the approximately 37 days required via the Suez Canal.

The expansion comes as Chinese container traffic via the NSR has more than tripled between 2023 and 2025. Likhachev noted that the growing demand for this route is driven by global shipping disruptions, including tensions in the Persian Gulf.