Fuzhou

History

2025: Sending the first cargo ship to Europe along the Northern Sea Route

The Chinese container ship Istanbul Bridge became the first cargo ship to travel from the PRC to European ports along the Arctic route through the Northern Sea Route. The ship left the Chinese port with a cargo of building materials, textiles and electromechanical products, heading to the British port of Filixstowe with an expected delivery time of 19 days. The launch of the historic transarctic route was announced by the Central People's Government of the PRC on September 23, 2025.

According to RBC, the ship actually left the port of Ningbo-Zhoushan on September 23, 2025 with an estimated arrival time in Filixstow on October 12. Officially, the departure point is the East China province of Fujian, where the container ship left the Jiangyin port zone of Fuzhou port on Sunday morning. The new route provides exporters from Fujian and neighboring provinces with a more efficient channel for delivering goods to European markets.

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Фото: Rosatom State Corporation

A representative of Fuzhou Co., Ltd described the significant advantages of the Arctic route over traditional transportation methods. Goods are delivered through Arctic waters one week faster than Sino-European railways and 20 days faster than traditional sea routes through the Suez Canal and around the Cape of Good Hope. Reducing delivery times from 7 days to 20 days makes the Arctic route an attractive alternative for Chinese manufacturers.

The time of the current delivery of goods by the Istanbul Bridge ship coincides with the pre-Christmas period of mass purchases in European cities, which is of strategic importance for Chinese exporters. Goods will arrive at European ports in the optimal time for sale during a period of high consumer demand. Logistics companies are counting on the significant advantages of the new route in the pre-holiday season.^[1]

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