China Uses Arctic Shipping Route to Avoid Strait of Hormuz via ‘Ice Silk Road’

A Chinese shipping company called Sea Legend is reportedly opening an “Ice Silk Road” shipping lane through the Arctic to avoid the volatile Middle East and chokepoints like the Strait of Hormuz. When the weekly service begins, Sea Legend will become the first company to offer regular container shipping through the Arctic. One outlet (FT) reported on Monday that Sea Legend’s route will “skirt the north Russian coast on its journey between Ningbo on China’s east coast and Felixstowe in the UK. ” “The voyage will cut the usual 40-day sailing time between the two ports by about half, depending on the conditions in the Arctic Circle. The move follows a record 23 transits through the Northern Sea Route last summer, up from 15 voyages in 2024,” FT noted.