The ongoing trade disruptions from the Iran war have enabled China to gain a trade edge, but it requires shipping vessels to brave the Arctic.
On Saturday, the Chinese container shipping company Sea Legend Line launched its first regular shipping route through the Arctic, traveling a route that’s more than 3,400 miles long along the northern coast of Russia. The vessel went from China’s industrial hub Ningbo—located about halfway between Shanghai and Beijing—all the way to the U.K.’s Felixstowe, about 70 miles north of London. Dubbed the “Ice Silk Road,” the route takes about 20 days to complete, which is just half the shipping time of the route that passes south through the Suez Canal.
