A container carrier has completed the first-ever transit voyage from China to Europe along the Northern Sea Route, arriving at the UK port of Felixstowe on October 13, 2025, the Rosatom State Corporation reported.

“The historic voyage marks another step towards expanding the potential of the Northern Sea Route and turning it into a sustainable logistics channel between Europe and Asia. It will complement existing routes and make a substantial contribution to the growth of global trade,” Rosatom said in a statement.

After unloading at Felixstowe, the container carrier will sail to other European ports. It took the ship 20 days to navigate the Russian Arctic, or nearly half the time required by traditional southern routes.

The ship departed from the port of Ningbo on September 23, carrying nearly 25,000 metric tons of cargo, and entered the waters of the Northern Sea Route on October 1.