China takes the Arctic Route: First ship set to arrive in Europe via the Northeast Passage

Brussels – On 20 September, the Chinese shipping company Haijie Shipping Company will pave the way for a new route between the East and Europe via the Arctic ice. It will be called the Europe Arctic Express and could revolutionize European trade, shortening the distance between China and Europe by ten days (it takes 18 days via the Arctic, compared to about 30 using the Suez Canal). The ship will set sail with 5,000 containers from the port of Qingdao, opposite North Korea, and then dock in Europe at the ports of Felixstowe in Great Britain, Rotterdam, Hamburg, and Gdansk. A stable flow of ships through this new route would render the ports of the Mediterranean marginal.

This month, China launches a shipping route halving Europe transit time. The China-Europe Arctic Express begins September 20, reducing shipping from 40 days via the Suez Canal to 18 days through Russia’s Northern Sea Route. It outperforms the 50+ days around the Horn of Africa… pic.twitter.com/20WzqwNOlK

— Malume (@bozzie_t) September 9, 2025

The Europe Arctic Express may be chosen not only for its speed but also because it is considered safer. Indeed, the ships would not have to pass through areas threatened by pirates, such as Somalia or near the Arabian Peninsula, over which the Yemeni Houthis fighters preside.

This revolution was made possible by climate change. The shrinking of the polar ice cap is significantly accelerating the melting of the ice, which in those latitudes is occurring at a rate of 12 percent every ten years. It is only “thanks” to this that one can today speak of a “Northwest Passage.” In recent years, Russian and Chinese container ships have mainly navigated the Arctic route. According to Norway’s Centre for High North Logistics (CHNL), between the beginning of June and the end of August, approximately 52 Russian or Chinese ships transited through this route, mainly loaded with Russian oil for export.

Beyond the economic impacts this could have, the battle is also a geopolitical one. A route passing through the North Pole would free Russia and China from the transit of their goods through the Straits of Malacca and Suez, which are bottlenecks of world trade.

Russia’s intentions regarding the Arctic have been clear for some time. In 2021, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated, “We will knock out the teeth out of anyone who dares to challenge our sovereignty. There is no Arctic without Russia, and no Russia without the Arctic.” Europe, meanwhile, lags behind the other powers. No EU shipping company has yet attempted to navigate the Arctic ice. Only Denmark’s Maersk attempted in 2018, sailing north between the ports of Vladivostok and St. Petersburg — an isolated episode for the Danish carrier.