China Takes New Asia-to-Europe Shipping Route
Beijing has launched a new, faster ocean shipping route to Europe, with the first ship expected to make the China-to-England journey in just 18 days (Newsweek).
What’s going on: The “Arctic Express” route, as China is calling it, “links ports including Ningbo, Shanghai, Qingdao and Dalian with European hubs such as Rotterdam in the Netherlands, Hamburg in Germany and Gdańsk in Poland.”
- The ship sent on the route, the Liberian-flagged Istanbul Bridge, left China Sept. 22 and is expected at the Port of Felixstowe in the United Kingdom on Oct. 11.
Why it’s important: The new route more than halves the seagoing time of traditional paths through the Suez Canal and Cape of Good Hope, “which take about 40 and 50 days respectively, and competes with overland rail averaging 25 days.”
- The melting of sea ice along the Arctic coasts of Norway and Russia has allowed for ship passage through waters once blocked all year.
What it could mean: “By sending Istanbul Bridge on a scheduled run, Beijing is signaling its intent to develop a regular Arctic service—one that could reshape logistics between Asia and Europe and align deliveries with peak demand.”