China and Russia have inaugurated the Arctic Express No 1 Rail-Sea Cargo Service, marking a notable milestone in their trade relations.
This new service, operated by NewNew Shipping and Rosatom, will convey cargo by rail from Moscow to the Port of Arkhangelsk, directly south of the Barents Sea.
From Arkhangelsk, the goods will be shipped across the Arctic and North Pacific oceans along the Siberian coast towards the Bering Strait and on to various Chinese ports.
Covering approximately 13 200 kilometres, the route is projected to take 20 to 25 days.
This Arctic Express No 1 route is expected to boost the efficiency of trade between the two nations, which have been strengthening their economic ties in recent years.
Chinese ambassador to Russia, Zhang Hanhui, underscored the resilience of Sino-Russian economic and trade relations, noting that trade had exceeded $240 billion in 2023.
He emphasised the need for developing new logistics channels to meet the growing demands of both countries, particularly in light of infrastructure challenges.
Zhang also highlighted ongoing cooperation in Arctic shipping, mentioning that over the past decade, both nations had focused on establishing mechanisms for Arctic collaboration.
The ambassador pointed out that this new service would contribute to the development of the 'Ice Silk Road', a term used to describe the expanding maritime trade routes between China and Russia in the Arctic region.
The launch follows a recent agreement between Rosatom and Yangpu NewNew, which aims to operate routes through the NSR and construct up to five ice-breaking container ships.
Rosatom has set a target to transport at least 50 million tonnes of cargo through the NSR this year, underscoring the strategic importance of this new route for both nations' logistics and trade ambitions.
