The world's first China-Europe Arctic container express route was officially launched Tuesday from the Ningbo-Zhoushan Port in east China's Zhejiang Province, with a cargo ship embarking on its inaugural voyage to the Felixstowe Port in Britain.

The cargo ship left the Chinese port at 04:30 Tuesday for Britain's largest container port of Felixstowe, after handling more than 1,000 standard containers.
The new route crosses directly to Europe via the Northeast Arctic passage, slashing the transit time from Zhoushan to Felixstowe to just 18 days. The route's maiden voyage is set to reach Felixstowe on October 10. This is significantly faster than China-Europe Express direct route (about 26 days), the China-Europe freight train (about 25 days), the Suez Canal route (about 40 days), and the Cape of Good Hope route (about 50 days).
According to the Ningbo Customs, the cargo on this voyage is valued at 1.4 billion yuan (about 190 million U.S. dollars), including clothing, energy storage cabinets, and power batteries.
"The main advantage of the China-Europe Arctic route is its shorter distance and sailing days, which can marginally reduce supply chain costs. We cam save the sailing days between China and Europe by more than 50 percent [compared with the past]," said Li Xiaobin, chief operating officer of the Sea Legend Shipping.
The route is also seen as a key achievement under the Belt and Road Initiative's "Ice Silk Road," which would provide faster and lower-carbon logistics options for industries, such as advanced manufacturing, cross-border e-commerce, and new energy.
"The operation of this route will further enhance the Ningbo-Zhoushan Port's position as an international hub. In the long run, it will also drive the diversified development of trade patterns and strengthen the resilience of international trading system in responding to risks," said Sun Xuejun, chairman of Zhejiang Seaport Logistics Group Co., Ltd.
An inauguration ceremony was held at the port on Monday to officially mark the launch of the new shipping route.