Chinese liner Sea Legend has launched its first regular weekly container service from China to Europe through the Arctic, with Dubai Tower sailing from Ningbo-Zhoushan Port on 15 August, according to Ningbo-Zhoushan Port.
The China-Europe Arctic Express, or CAX, shifts the Hong Kong-registered carrier from trial voyages to a fixed seasonal liner operation, with at least eight sailings planned between August and October using seven ice-strengthened ships.
Dubai Tower left the port’s Chuanshan container terminal at about 1900 local time and is due to call at Shanghai, Taicang and Qingdao for additional cargo before heading through the Arctic Northeast Passage.
Its European rotation includes Felixstowe, Rotterdam, Hamburg and Gdynia. The ship is carrying 1,370 TEU, including 768 TEU loaded at Ningbo. Cargo includes energy-storage equipment, power batteries, photovoltaic components and other new-energy products originating largely from Ningbo, Yiwu and other manufacturing centres in the Yangtze River Delta.
Chinese lithium battery manufacturer EVE Energy Co Ltd is among the shippers on the first 2026 sailing, using the voyage to test the transport chain for a small batch of power batteries, including temperature control and customs clearance.
The Arctic transit is expected to take 18 to 20 days, compared with more than 40 days via the Suez Canal, while the sailing distance is about one-third shorter. Carbon emissions on a one-way voyage are estimated at about 50% below the conventional route.
The expansion follows Sea Legend’s first China-Europe Arctic container voyage in September 2025. Istanbul Bridge departed Ningbo-Zhoushan Port on 22 September and reached the UK after a 20-day Arctic passage before continuing to other European ports.
Operations remain concentrated between July and October because of Arctic ice conditions, while Sea Legend and its port partners are targeting a stable four-month operating season and a gradual extension of the navigable period.
Sea Legend Line Limited is a Hong Kong-registered shipping and logistics company active in shipowning, shipping operations and logistics services. Its shipping business has included transport services focused on the Turkey market.