China's NewNew Shipping Arrives at Murmansk with 500 Containers via Northern Sea Route

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On August 19, the general cargo vessel Xin Xin Hai 1, operated by China's NewNew Shipping Line, arrived at the port of Murmansk, Russia, marking the first time the port has received containerized import cargo via the Northern Sea Route.

Xin Xin Hai 1 is a 29,000-deadweight-tonne general cargo vessel built in 2012, converted for container transport. The vessel is carrying 500 containers of auto parts destined for Murmansk on this voyage. Its AIS signal shows the vessel departed Tianjin, China, on July 19.

Sea Legend Shipping also dispatched its first vessel of the season on this route this week. The company conducted a trial voyage in 2025 and plans to deploy seven vessels across eight voyages this season, stating it is establishing the first scheduled container route to Europe via the Arctic.

NewNew Shipping previously conducted a trial voyage on this route in 2023. Its vessel New New Polar Bear (53,697 deadweight tonnes) drew attention after being accused of damaging submarine cables by dragging its anchor in the Baltic Sea. The vessel, capable of carrying 4,363 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU), is one of three ships NewNew Shipping plans to sail along the Northern Sea Route in 2026. As scheduled, it will make the season's final voyage in mid-October, traveling from Nansha to St. Petersburg and Kaliningrad; given that it will be late in the season by then, it will not be able to return via the Northern Sea Route.

Xin Xin Hai 1 and its sister vessel Xin Xin Hai 2 are undertaking earlier voyages. The route calls at China's Nansha, Shanghai, Rizhao, and Tianjin ports, and continues to St. Petersburg after a stop in Murmansk.

Andrei Chibis, Governor of Murmansk Oblast, said the region has been preparing for the new route, including establishing a partnership with NewNew Shipping and investing in port facilities. He also stated that the region is considering building a terminal for transshipping cargo to and from Belarus.

Russia's Interfax news agency reported that NewNew Shipping's General Manager, Ke Jin, announced at a meeting earlier this week that the company intends to actively participate in investing in and modernizing port and logistics infrastructure along Russia's Northern Sea Route. He highlighted opportunities at the Arctic ports of Murmansk and Arkhangelsk and expressed interest in participating in equity investment in the port of Ust-Luga.

NewNew Shipping aims to transport 1.2 million tonnes of cargo via the Northern Sea Route during the 2027 summer navigation season. The company plans to deploy six ARC-3 class Arctic vessels with a maximum capacity of 4,800 TEU each, and the additional capacity will support two sailings per month.

Xin Xin Hai 1 is scheduled to return to China via the Northern Sea Route, and its sister vessel will depart from China this month, with an expected return in September.