The first batch of schedules covers around 20,000 TEU of container and multipurpose capacity and approximately 1.4 million dwt of dry bulk tonnage, linking Chinese ports with St Petersburg, Murmansk, Arkhangelsk, Felixstowe, Hamburg and Rotterdam.

China’s 2026 Arctic shipping season is gathering pace, with six domestic operators publishing their first batch of container, multipurpose and dry bulk voyage plans between China and Europe.

According to schedules released by the China Shipowners’ Association, the operating window for this year’s Arctic voyages is expected to run from late July to late September. NewNew Shipping, Sea Legend Shipping (Hong Kong), Ningbo Hongkun Shipping, Dalian Trawind Shipping, Tianjin Yueqian Shipping and Shanghai Dahua Shipping are preparing to deploy vessels during the seasonal navigation window.

The initial programme represents around 20,000 TEU of container and multipurpose vessel capacity, together with approximately 1.4 million dwt of dry bulk tonnage.

The planned sailings will connect Nansha, Shanghai, Ningbo, Qingdao, Taicang, Tianjin, Rizhao, Fuzhou and other Chinese ports with a range of European destinations, including St Petersburg, Murmansk, Arkhangelsk, Kaliningrad, Tilbury, Felixstowe, Hamburg and Rotterdam.

Several vessels are also scheduled to return to China through the Arctic, while others will use the Suez Canal or the Cape of Good Hope for their return voyages. The different routing arrangements show that operators are treating the Northern Sea Route as a seasonal component of a broader China–Europe shipping network rather than limiting entire round voyages to the Arctic corridor.

NewNew Shipping expands its Arctic container programme

NewNew Shipping has scheduled three vessels for its first group of 2026 voyages.

The largest is the 4,363-TEU NEWNEW PANDA 1, which is due to load at Nansha on August 25, followed by Rizhao, Shanghai and Ningbo. The vessel is scheduled to arrive in St Petersburg on October 2 and Kaliningrad on October 10.

Its return voyage is planned through the Suez Canal, with calls at Shanghai, Rizhao and Nansha in November.

The company will also deploy the 1,220-TEU multipurpose vessels XIN XIN HAI 1 and XIN XIN HAI 2.

XIN XIN HAI 1 departed Tianjin on July 19 and is expected to arrive in Murmansk on August 18. It is scheduled to return through the Arctic and reach Tianjin on September 20.

XIN XIN HAI 2 is scheduled to leave Taicang on August 16 for Arkhangelsk, arriving on September 15. It is expected to return through the Arctic before calling at Rizhao in October.

NewNew Shipping has been one of the most active Chinese companies developing regular container and multipurpose services through the Northern Sea Route. Its 2026 programme combines Russian Arctic and Baltic destinations with calls at several major Chinese container ports.

Sea Legend schedules eight China–Europe sailings

Sea Legend Shipping has published eight voyage schedules involving vessels ranging from approximately 1,500 TEU to nearly 4,900 TEU.

The first sailing will be operated by the 1,740-TEU DUBAI TOWER. The vessel is scheduled to load at Qingdao, Shanghai, Taicang and Ningbo between August 8 and August 15 before calling at Tilbury, Felixstowe, Hamburg and Rotterdam in September.

DUBAI TOWER is expected to return through the Arctic and reach Shanghai by the end of September.

The 2,872-TEU RIYADH MUKAAB will follow, loading at Nansha, Shanghai and Ningbo from August 17. Its European rotation includes Felixstowe, Rotterdam and Hamburg, with an Arctic return voyage to Shanghai scheduled for October.

Other ships in the programme include the 1,829-TEU ATHENS ODEON, the 4,890-TEU ISTANBUL BRIDGE, and three 1,568-TEU vessels — TIGER MANSHAN, TIGER BINTULU and TIGER LIANYUNGANG.

The first four Sea Legend voyages are expected to return through the Arctic. The later TIGER-series sailings and a second DUBAI TOWER voyage are planned to return through the Suez Canal, with arrivals at Ningbo scheduled between early and late November.

The programme gives Sea Legend a sequence of departures extending from early August to early October, offering Chinese exporters several shipment windows to the UK, Germany and the Netherlands.

Panamax bulkers dominate the dry cargo programme

Dry bulk vessels account for the majority of the capacity announced in the first batch of schedules.

Dalian TrawindShipping has listed 17 vessels, most of them Panamax and Kamsarmax bulkers of between approximately 73,000 dwt and 88,000 dwt. The ships are mainly scheduled to load at Taicang before sailing to St Petersburg.

Among the vessels are HONG SHENG, HONG XIANG, HONG CHANG, TANG LAND, HONG RUN, RUN XING, QUEEN LAND, HWALAND, HF ZHOUSHAN, BAO TONG HAI, YUE AN, AURORA 25, HONG YANG and HON FA.

The fleet also includes smaller bulk carriers such as the 31,775-dwt VAST FOISON and the 56,060-dwt BAO TAI HAI, allowing the operator to serve cargoes and ports requiring different vessel sizes.

Several of the ships are expected to return through the Arctic to ports in northern China. The return routes for a number of later sailings remain subject to confirmation.

Ningbo Hongkun Shipping has separately published schedules for seven bulk carriers, including HONG XIANG, HONG CHANG, HONG RUN, HONG YANG, HON FA, HONG SHENG and QUEEN LAND. These vessels are scheduled mainly between Taicang or Caofeidian and St Petersburg.

Some vessels appear in the programmes issued by both Ningbo Hongkun and Dalian Trawind, indicating operational, ownership or chartering cooperation between the companies. They should therefore not necessarily be treated as additional tonnage when calculating the combined capacity of the Arctic programme.

Tianjin Yueqian Shipping has listed the 88,172-dwt YUE AN and the 75,921-dwt YUE PING. YUE AN is scheduled to leave Taicang on August 25 for St Petersburg, while YUE PING is being prepared for voyages from Taicang or Ust-Luga, subject to final cargo and port arrangements.

Shanghai Dahua Shipping will deploy the 74,204-dwt SHEN YU 79 from Murmansk. The vessel is expected to return through the Arctic and call at Rizhao in September.

Shorter distance, but a tightly controlled seasonal window

The China Shipowners’ Association said the Northern Sea Route can provide a substantial distance advantage during the summer navigation season.

On a Shanghai–Rotterdam voyage, an Arctic routing can reduce the sailing distance by approximately 3,000 nautical miles and save around 15 days compared with a voyage through the Suez Canal, according to the association.

Compared with a diversion around the Cape of Good Hope, the Arctic route could shorten the voyage by approximately 6,800 nautical miles and save about 25 days. For services connecting China with ports in the Baltic region, the total sailing distance can be reduced by close to one-third.

The route also allows vessels to avoid the Red Sea and the Strait of Malacca, two strategically important waterways that have faced heightened security and congestion risks in recent years.

Actual voyage performance will nevertheless depend on ice, weather, vessel capability, port arrangements and other operational conditions. The navigation window remains limited, requiring cargo bookings, vessel deployment and return routing to be closely coordinated.

Chinese operators gained further experience during the 2025 season, when NewNew Shipping, Sea Legend Shipping, Ningbo Hongkun Shipping, Anfu Shipping and Shanghai Dahua Shipping completed commercial Arctic voyages.

The larger and more diversified programme announced for 2026 indicates that the route is moving beyond individual trial voyages. Container ships, multipurpose vessels and bulk carriers are now being organised within the same seasonal network, with operators offering direct access to Russian, Baltic and northern European ports.

The Northern Sea Route is unlikely to replace the Suez Canal as the main corridor between Asia and Europe. Its commercial role is becoming clearer, however: a seasonal alternative for selected cargoes, ports and operators seeking shorter distances, additional routing flexibility and reduced exposure to geopolitical risks along traditional trade lanes.