China has turned to a new shipping route through the Arctic as an alternative to the Strait of Hormuz, which is currently caught up in the ongoing Iran conflict.
Beijing, the capital city of China, is set to launch a regular container shipping service through the Arctic as a way to bypass the current maritime blockages and shorten the journey between Asia and Europe.
A Chinese container shipping company, named Sea Legend, is due to launch its first regular shipping service through the Arctic. The shipping service will connect Ningbo in China to Felixstowe in the UK through the Northern Sea route across Russia’s Arctic coast. To be known as the “Ice Silk Road”, the route evokes historical trading pathways that once linked China and Europe.
The primary benefit of this shipping route is to cut the average 40-day sailing time between the two ports in half. Originally a difficult route due to ice blockages, climate change-induced melting of ice has created a viable path for the ships without needing icebreaker capabilities. The Arctic sea ice shrank by 5.8% between 2024 and 2025 during the peak winter period.
Rahul Khanna, Global Head of Marine Risk Consulting at the insurer Allianz, said that there has been an increase in traffic through the Arctic and Northern Sea Route as shipowners see it as an opportunity to save time and costs, while avoiding conflict zones.
The northern Sea Route is divided into 28 sections with varying guidelines. The permit to sail through the route is often issued by the Rosatom-controlled Northern Sea Route administration.
Many European shipping lines have avoided this route on the grounds of worsening relations with Russia and the fears over causing ecological harm to the Arctic ecosystem. The Arctic Ocean is turning into a highly contested arena between the US, Russia and China due to melting polar ice caps.