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The Istanbul Bridge, a container ship, departed on Sunday from the Jiangyin Port Area of Fuzhou in China’s Fujian Province, becoming the first vessel to sail along the newly launched Arctic Ocean corridor to Europe, known as the "Polar Silk Road."
The route is expected to reshape shipping patterns by offering a shorter and faster alternative between Asia and Europe.
The Arctic passage, also referred to as the Northeast Passage, will shorten the shipping time between China and Europe to about 18–19 days.
By comparison, freight trains connecting the two regions take roughly 25 days, while shipping routes through the Suez Canal average 40 days. The journey via the Cape of Good Hope can take up to 50 days.
This time reduction offers exporters a quicker and potentially more cost-efficient option, particularly for goods in high demand during seasonal peaks.
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The new route will connect major Chinese ports—including Qingdao, Dalian, Shanghai, and Ningbo—with prominent European destinations such as Felixstowe in the United Kingdom, Rotterdam in the Netherlands, Hamburg in Germany, and Gdansk in Poland, the Chinese state media Xinhua reported.
According to Fuzhou Customs, products shipped are expected to include building materials, textiles, and electromechanical equipment.
Xiao Bin, a business manager at China Ocean Shipping Agency Fuzhou, said the new corridor allows companies to schedule more frequent shipments and diversify their transport options.
He noted that the inaugural voyage coincides with Europe’s pre-Christmas stocking season, allowing Chinese exporters to deliver goods earlier and avoid congestion during peak shipping months.
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