China’s Sea Legend Poised to Launch First Regular “Ice Silk Road" Service
The Chinese shipping company Sea Legend Line is poised to launch its container route along Russia’s Northern Sea Route, marking what is being billed as the first regular container service using the Arctic. The company drew worldwide attention in September 2025 when it completed its first trial sailing, which it also claimed as a new speed record between China and Northern Europe.
Russia’s Rosatom reported on Friday that it had completed issuing permits for the 2026 season on the NSR, which is ready to start and will run through until November. Rosatom was appointed by the Russian government to manage the entire NSR, and it has established it with 28 unique sections. Ships require permitting to make the transit, which is closely monitored and can be supported with Russian icebreakers.
There were a record 23 transits in 2025 of containerships, the Financial Times reports, up from 15 voyages in 2024. However, in the past, the transits have been viewed as demonstrations or one-off voyages as opposed to a regularly scheduled route.
Citing data from researchers at the University of Southampton in the UK, the Financial Times reports that the ongoing decline in sea ice is what has made the establishment of the new service possible. The researchers, the report says, determined that peak winter period ice was down 5.8 percent between 2024 and 2025. The Financial Times reports that it was the biggest drop on record. There was a slight recovery this year, but it is still at the second-lowest levels on record.
Sea Lend sent its vessel, Istanbul Bridge (66,781 t dwt), through the route in 2025, and it is one of the vessels licensed for the 2026 service. All told, Sea Legend is reported to have licensed seven vessels.
The containership Dubai Tower (IMO 9433066) is being prepared for the voyage. Feeders have already been gathering containers, and the Dubai Tower will dock in Zhoushan on August 11 to begin loading. The vessel, built in 2010, is 23,338 dwt with a capacity for 1,740 TEU and is registered in Liberia. She is scheduled to depart on August 15 and is expected to reach Felixstowe in the UK in 20 days.
Weekly service is scheduled to follow with the last departure by Sea Legend on October 3. The last arrival at Felixstowe is set for October 24. With that, Sea Legend will have inaugurated what it calls the “Ice Silk Road,” or officially its China-Europe Arctic Express. The company, which manages a total of 17 vessels, also maintains the more traditional route through the Suez Canal and services to the Middle East and Africa.
According to the reports, Sea Legend will be far from being alone this season on the NSR. China’s Yangpu Newnew Shipping has also been active on the route, including the infamous 2023 trip when its vessel Newnew Polar Bear was charged with severing Finland’s undersea cables. The China Shipowners’ Association has also reported that dry bulk ships will be operating on the NSR this season, calling at both Murmansk and Arkhangelsk, Russia.
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Not everyone welcomes the increase in service through the Arctic. Last year, the Norwegian NGO the Bellona Foundation issued a statement calling the transit of the Istanbul Bridge and commercial shipping on the NSR “completely unacceptable.” It highlighted that the ship is 25 years old and not built for the ice conditions of the Arctic. The ship they emphasized uses heavy fuel oil.
South Korea looks to leverage this opposition as it plans its first demonstration trip along the NSR later this month. The government and the shipping industry are supporting the trip, which will be operated by a smaller carrier called PanStar. They are saying South Korea will abide by the stringent international regulations and provide a more compliant and sustainable alternative to the Chinese service for shippers. PanStar reports it will collect data from the 2026 demonstration trip to establish its own regular service through the NSR in the coming years.
