First voyage of the China-Europe ＂Arctic Express＂ carrying chemical products

On September 21, the container ship "Istanbul Bridge," operated by Haijie Shipping (Hong Kong) Co., Ltd. and carrying new energy lithium batteries from CATL and chemical products from Wanhua Chemical, successfully completed its first berthing operation at Jiangyin Port Area of Fuzhou Port before heading to the Arctic route via Ningbo. Thus, chemical products made in Fujian Province witnessed the maiden voyage of the first Sino-European "Arctic Express" along the first "Ice Silk Road."

After departing from Jiangyin Port Area, the "Istanbul Bridge" will take the Arctic Northeast Passage, calling at major ports including Qingdao, Shanghai, Ningbo, Felixstowe in the UK, Rotterdam in the Netherlands, Hamburg in Germany, and Gdansk in Poland. The entire journey takes only 19 days—seven days less than the China-Europe Railway Express and over 20 days shorter than traditional routes through the Suez Canal—providing a new logistics solution for the upcoming Christmas trade season between Europe and China, as well as raw material supplies for European chemical, construction materials, and related industries, marking a significant breakthrough in involving the Arctic route in international trade within Eurasian maritime corridors.

"With the new route launched, there are more vessel schedules available, giving enterprises greater flexibility in planning cargo shipments from Fuzhou Port to Europe," said Xiao Bin, business manager at China Fuzhou Foreign Vessels Agency Co., Ltd. According to statistics from Xiamen Customs, lithium battery exports from Fujian Province to Europe reached 35.238 billion yuan in the first half of this year, up 26.78% year-on-year, reflecting an explosive growth trend in recent years, especially in exports to Europe.

The launch of the "Arctic Express" also diversifies logistics options between China and Europe, complementing the China-Europe Railway Express and traditional deep-sea shipping routes, significantly enhancing the stability and risk resilience of cross-border supply chains. As scheduled, the "Istanbul Bridge" will arrive successively at major European ports including Felixstowe, Rotterdam, and Hamburg starting October 8.

"Haijie Shipping's selection of Jiangyin Port Area of Fuzhou Port as the sole port of call in Fujian for this route fully reflects confidence in the port area’s comprehensive capabilities in handling new energy and hazardous cargo," said Teng Libo, Business Development Director at Fu Gang Container Terminal. He noted that Jiangyin Port Area hosts Fujian’s first standardized hazardous cargo container yard. To ensure flawless execution of this mission, the port developed a customized 'full-chain safety control plan' for these lithium battery shipments, guaranteeing each 'large power bank' is loaded safely and efficiently.

Haijie Shipping stated it will dynamically switch between the Arctic route (during summer months) and the Suez Canal–Mediterranean route to provide fast and reliable year-round transportation services from China to major European ports.

The development and utilization of the Arctic shipping route holds profound significance for China and the global trade landscape. Economically, it greatly shortens transport distance and time between China and Europe, reduces logistics costs, and improves cargo turnover efficiency. From a geopolitical perspective, the opening of the Arctic route reduces China’s reliance on traditional Eurasian corridors and lowers the risk of logistics disruptions caused by geopolitical conflicts, offering a more stable and reliable logistics alternative for Sino-European trade.