Russian container carrier Aurora Line has launched another test sailing along the Northern Sea Route (NSR), advertising a 33-day voyage from China to St Petersburg — a transit time that undercuts the traditional Suez option.
The 2,135 teu Hong Chang Sheng has been loading across a string of Chinese ports, including in Shandong, Ningbo, and Taicang, with Nansha its final call on October 2. The vessel is scheduled to reach St Petersburg on November 3, according to Alphaliner.
Aurora Line used the same ship earlier this year to sail from Nansha to St Petersburg via Port Said, a 37-day trip. The reverse Arctic voyage from Russia to Qingdao clocked in at just 28 days. The line has ambitions to run monthly Arctic sailings, though at present the Hong Chang Sheng is its sole vessel on the route.
The NSR is fast emerging as a showcase route for Moscow to prove the viability of Arctic shipping as sanctions and geopolitics reshape Russian trade. The Kremlin has openly backed projects that reduce reliance on the Suez Canal, and Aurora Line’s push follows other recent box developments across the polar corridor.
Just last month, Russia’s FESCO completed its own Arctic container trial, while COSCO has quietly built up its experience with ice-class vessels in the region. Niche Chinese liner Sea Legend Shipping has also recently launched a direct container service between China and northern Europe via the NSR, dispatching the 4,890 teu Istanbul Bridge on a voyage that is scheduled to take just 18 days to reach Europe.
In August, Splash reported that Russia’s Rosatomflot had set aside additional nuclear icebreaker tonnage to clear paths for box carriers, part of its plan to make the NSR a year-round commercial artery.
