Responding to reports that China’s Haijie shipping company has launched an “18-Day Arctic Express Containership Route To Europe”, with container vessels crossing the Northern Sea Route with stops in the UK, Germany and Poland, Dr Sian Prior, Lead Advisor to the Clean Arctic Alliance said:

“The Arctic is already under severe stress – its waters are warming and acidifying faster than the global average due to global climate change. As a result, sending container ships across the Arctic raises a lot of red flags.”

Although a shorter route might result in lower CO2 emissions, the Arctic has been largely undeveloped in terms of transit shipping, due to the risks posed by sea ice. An increase in shipping in the Arctic will lead to

• an increase in shipping’s global climate impact due to black carbon emissions – which have a disproportionately higher impact when emitted in the Arctic,
• an increase in disturbance to wildlife and to communities dependent on marine resources due to increased ship pollution including underwater noise in a comparatively quiet ocean, and
• an increase in the risk of damaging oil spills.

“In addition, the need for ice-strengthened ships or accompanying ice breakers will not necessarily reduce CO2 emissions. Ahead of the development of a new shipping route via the Arctic, an impact assessment should be undertaken and considered strategically to ensure that the highest level of environmental protection be adopted. Any ship operating on this route should be ice-strengthened due to the risk of ice and issued with a polar certification under the international Polar Code. Furthermore, there should be no use or carriage of residual fuels including very low sulphur fuel oil (VLSFO), instead ships should use distillate fuels or other new fuels with low black carbon emissions, and implement noise abatement plans.”

According to media, the initial voyage will be undertaken by the 25-year-old, Liberian-flagged Istanbul Bridge, which will reportedly sail from Qingdao, China, in September 2025, with a capacity for 4,890 containers.