Eight planned sailings successfully transported high-value exports through the Northern Sea Route, with services set to restart next summer.
China has finished its first season of regular weekly container shipping connecting China and Europe via the Northern Sea Route. The operator completed all eight planned sailings for 2026 but had to end the departures slightly earlier than expected due to forecasts of Arctic ice.
Sea Legend Shipping launched its China-Europe Arctic Express in August, using seven ice-strengthened container ships for eight westbound voyages from Ningbo-Zhoushan and other Chinese ports.
The last two ships left Ningbo on September 27, wrapping up the planned trips for the year. Although the sailings were originally set to continue into early October, the operator adjusted the final departures following ice predictions, as reported by the local government in Zhejiang.
Throughout the season, more than 14,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of export cargo were transported across the eight voyages, according to preliminary figures from Zhejiang authorities. Cargo from Zhejiang made up about 59% of the total, exceeding 8,300 TEUs.
In addition, Ningbo Customs reported that the cargo handled in its area totaled 7,761 TEUs, valued at 5.33 billion yuan ($750 million). The shipments largely consisted of energy-storage equipment, power batteries, and new-energy vehicles, reaching destinations in Britain, Germany, the Czech Republic, and over 20 other countries and regions.
Sea Legend’s schedule allowed for eight voyages with a total vessel capacity of around 15,700 TEUs, with the Istanbul Bridge being the largest ship at 4,890 TEU. The season's first voyage on the Dubai Tower carried 1,370 TEUs from Ningbo, Shanghai, Taicang, and Qingdao to Europe.
The Arctic route takes approximately 18 to 20 days between China and Northern Europe, which is about half the typical time required for traditional routes through the Suez Canal, according to Chinese transport authorities. The cargo is increasingly focused on high-value manufactured goods, making shorter transit times more beneficial.
The conclusion of Sea Legend’s departures does not indicate a halt in Chinese container shipping on the Northern Sea Route for 2026. Other Chinese companies, such as NewNew Shipping, are also utilizing this Arctic path, while Sea Legend vessels from the eight-voyage initiative remain in transit or are returning from Europe.
However, no further departures from Sea Legend are scheduled for this year. The service is specifically seasonal, with the usual Arctic navigation window identified as roughly July through October. Sea Legend plans to resume operations next summer.
Completing all eight planned voyages marks progress beyond last year's experimental trips, where Sea Legend was still assessing the commercial and operational viability of Arctic container shipping.
This year's program transitioned to a weekly schedule, with the company expressing its aim to establish a three- to four-month annual operation period and increase the frequency of voyages.