Sea Legend Shipping will begin a weekly Arctic express service, reducing transit times between China and Europe by two weeks, starting August 1.
Niche Chinese carrier Sea Legend Shipping will next month start a seasonal weekly express service between China and Europe via the Northern Sea Route, offering faster transit times than traditional routes, reported New York's Journal of Commerce.
The service is expected to cut about two weeks off voyages compared with east-west sailings that now detour around the Cape of Good Hope due to Red Sea diversions. It will also be five days quicker from Ningbo to Felixstowe than rail freight.
Hua Joo Tan of Linerlytica said the move was opportunistic, dictated by the Arctic navigation window rather than cargo demand. He noted vessels were redeployed from Red Sea and Baltic routes and would return once the Arctic season closes.
Sea Legend plans eight westbound transits on its CAX service between July and November, using ships of 1,384 TEU to 4,890 TEU. The service begins on August 1 from Shanghai, calling at Taicang, Ningbo, Felixstowe, Hamburg, and Gdynia.
The launch follows a trial sailing last year by the 4,890 TEU Istanbul Bridge from Ningbo to Felixstowe. The CAX service will run alongside Sea Legend's Asia-Red Sea-Black Sea operations.
South Korea is also preparing a pilot NSR voyage between Busan and Rotterdam later this year with Panstar Shipping, aiming for a regular Korea-Europe route by 2030.
While Dutch carrier Royal Wagenborg has made more than 50 NSR voyages in the past decade, sanctions on Russia and high costs have limited participation to Chinese and Russian lines, according to the Center for High North Logistics.
Drewry analyst Simon Heaney said NSR services will remain niche, citing expensive ice-class ships, higher fuel use, and limited safety support. He warned that the Arctic remains dangerous and commercially unviable at scale.
