On 14th October, the “Russian-Chinese Commission for the Preparation of Regular Meetings of Heads of Government” held its second session of the “Sub-Commission for Cooperation on the Northern Sea Route (NSR)” in Harbin, People’s Republic of China. After careful deliberation, the parties adopted an action plan to deepen shipping cooperation between the two nations along the Northern Sea Route.

The roadmap aims to establish a sustainable transit corridor, using advanced logistics and technology to promote large-scale infrastructure projects and enhance shipping performance. In other words, the two sides want not just more ships, but smarter, more dependable routes.

During the meeting, Alexey Likhachev, Director General of Rosatom State Corporation, emphasized the significance of the route by stating, “Russia sees the Northern Sea Route as a key transport artery of the 21st century, capable of providing faster, more efficient and safer connections between continents.” Rosatom, as you may know, is the Russian agency that operates eight nuclear-powered icebreakers—the only fleet of this kind worldwide—across the frozen Arctic expanses. In total, Russia maintains over 40 icebreakers active in the Far North, and another four nuclear-powered vessels are currently under construction.

Likhachev also said, “I am confident that the decisions taken today will give additional impetus to the development of Russian-Chinese cooperation in developing the potential of the Northern Sea Route and will allow us to materialise opportunities for cooperation in major capital projects. Our cooperation allows us not only to diversify global trade routes, but also to introduce advanced technologies in the development of high latitude areas with specific conditions,” underlining the broader ambitions behind the accord.

Interestingly, one of the key enablers of this plan is climate change itself: warming in the Arctic has made the seas more navigable during certain seasons, opening a passage through Russia’s exclusive economic waters that was once largely sealed by ice.

Expanding Horizons in Arctic Shipping

The Northern Sea Route (NSR) is the principal maritime pathway along Russia’s Arctic coastline. It runs through the Barents, Kara, Laptev, East Siberian, Chukchi and Bering seas, linking Europe and Russia’s Far East ports together into a unified network. Over time, it has evolved into a vital corridor for connecting the Asia-Pacific region with western Eurasia via shorter sea paths.

At approximately 5,600 kilometres in length—connecting Provideniya Bay to the Kara Strait—this route is one of the shortest maritime options bridging east and west. In 2024, the volume of cargo carried on this route reached 37.9 million tonnes, breaking the previous record by more than 1.6 million tonnes.

In that year’s summer–autumn navigation window, a total of 14 international container voyages were made between ports in northwest Russia and Chinese ports—double the count from 2023. The momentum continued into 2025, where of 22 scheduled container voyages, 17 had already been completed by mid-year, carrying about 280,000 tonnes of container freight—a striking 59% increase over the 176,000 tonnes shipped during the entirety of 2023.

Under their new framework, the two nations aim to boost freight levels via the NSR to 20 million tonnes by 2030. Likhachev emphasized: “We haven’t just set each other the goal of bringing (freight traffic) volumes to 20 million tons by 2030, our roadmap details various areas (of cooperation). It involves implementing modern logistics and technological solutions to increase shipping efficiency and support the development of major projects,” reflecting their methodical approach. He also added, “The cooperation between Russia and China in the coming years will affect not only seafaring and navigation, but also the creation of Arctic-class cargo ships, personnel training, as well as other areas,” showing intent for holistic development.

Together, Russia and China hope their partnership will push container shipments through the NSR beyond 400,000 tonnes, setting a new record. To support this, the two countries previously established a panel under the purview of the Chinese Minister of Transportation and Rosatom, with the long-term objective of transiting 50 million tonnes annually along the corridor.

The Arctic Silk Road in the Making

The Northern Sea Route features five major ports—Sabetta, Dudinka, Khatanga, Tiksi and Pevek—and begins at the boundary of the Kara and Barents Seas, continuing east to the Bering Strait. While Russia first deployed icebreaker support in the 1930s, the route was not fully navigated without ice assistance until 2017. Today, it is regularly used by ice-class vessels adapted for harsh polar conditions.

Historically, the NSR has already proven its capacity: in 2021, around 35 million tonnes of cargo passed through—nearly 4.5 times the throughput seen as recently as 2016. That same year also marked the first time that cargo volume using the NSR exceeded the Soviet peak of 6.57 million tonnes (set in 1987).

The route brings several strategic advantages. It’s about 40% shorter than the Suez Canal route (which spans roughly 21,000 km), and cuts 10 to 15 days off transit between Northern Europe and China compared to the traditional northern European route. Meanwhile, the path around the Cape of Good Hope is about 60% longer.

By offering shorter travel times, the NSR also enables more competitive backhaul services from the Far East. Unlike congested or piracy-prone sea lanes, its remoteness and relative clarity from geopolitical chokepoints make it a safer, more reliable option for transits. In addition, for Russia, the route is a lifeline: it supports the Northern Supply initiative, an annual operation that delivers critical goods—including fuel and food—to around 2.5 million people living in Russia’s remote northern territories.

Perhaps equally important, usage of the NSR promises to reduce carbon emissions. Shorter routes and optimized sailing schedules could save 20 to 30 million tonnes of CO₂ emissions annually, while offering cost advantages. In contrast to maritime routes controlled by Europe, the NSR is largely outside their jurisdiction—meaning fewer politically motivated delays and greater continuity for trade flows.

Overall, the Russia–China agreement signals that the Arctic may become the next frontier of international shipping—and that its icy seas may hold the key to a faster, greener, and more resilient global trade system.

China’s Maiden NSR Voyage Halves China-EU Delivery Time

The first container ship using the Northern Sea Route from China to Europe embarked from Ningbo on 23rd September and arrived at a U.K. port on 13th October. Remarkably, the journey took 20 days, traversing the Russian Arctic and cutting transit time almost in half compared to conventional southern routes.

A storm near Norway caused a delay in the Istanbul Bridge’s journey—initially meant to take 18 days—but even with that two-day setback, it still reached Europe far earlier than the typical 40 to 50 days needed via the Suez Canal or around the Cape of Good Hope.

The vessel, transporting about 4,000 containers from Zhoushan, docked at Britain’s busiest container terminal, Felixstowe, with scheduled stops in Germany, Poland, and the Netherlands. The ship is run by Sea Legend, a Chinese container line.

This voyage marks a strategic push by China: it seeks stronger maritime links with the European Union, its third-largest trading partner, in a time when its trade with the United States is under strain. As part of that strategy, Beijing has strengthened Arctic cooperation with Russia to reduce its dependency on the narrow and vulnerable Strait of Malacca.

Opening Arctic Frontiers: Technological and Economic Promise

Advances in technology—especially more powerful icebreakers—now allow ships to venture into regions once unreachable, shortening routes across the Arctic. Experts foresee this enabling year-round navigation, not just seasonal transit.

The Arctic also holds vast natural wealth. With rising commodity prices and growing global demand, its untapped energy and mineral reserves are drawing attention from nations and industries alike. Faster shipping and easier access through routes like the NSR heighten that appeal.

In that vein, China regards the Arctic’s energy and mineral resources as vital for shielding its economy from disruptions in supply. The Northern Sea Route is expected to help Russia more fully exploit its offshore oil and gas finds.

Competition in the Arctic: Power, Influence, and Strategy

Today, the NSR is becoming one of the 21st century’s most consequential commercial projects, especially amid renewed U.S. political ambitions and rising geopolitical pressures in the Arctic.

One sign: U.S. President Donald Trump has expressed interest in acquiring Greenland. Though controversial, Greenland holds strategic importance due to its location between the Atlantic and Arctic oceans, which makes it central to air and sea routes linking Europe and North America.

The island’s proximity to the Arctic Circle amplifies its value in surveillance, missile defence, and monitoring of naval operations in the North Atlantic. Trump’s interest, in part, aims at projecting U.S. power into the “High North” and countering Chinese and Russian influence.

Unsurprisingly, Washington has voiced concerns about Russia’s growing dominance over Arctic trade and continues to monitor developments surrounding the Northern Sea Route closely.

India Partners with Russia: Arctic Ambitions in Motion

A senior Rosatom official disclosed that Russia and India are in talks to work together to construct ice-class ships capable of carrying goods along the Northern Sea Route. Russia has already approached Delhi for participation.

Vladimir Panov, Rosatom’s special representative for Arctic Development, said that talks also cover training crews for advanced Arctic-class vessels, and that Russia is open to a bilateral pact in this area.

He pointed out, “Cooperation with India on the Northern Sea Route is carried out within the framework of the intergovernmental format, the Russian-Indian Working Group on Cooperation in the Northern Sea Route under the Intergovernmental Russian-Indian Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technical and Cultural Cooperation. The first meeting of the Working Group took place on 10th October 2024 in New Delhi,” signaling that institutional structures are already underway.

Panov added that lifting freight traffic between the two countries along the route is a key objective.

India’s Arctic approach is anchored in its 2022 Arctic strategy, known as “India and the Arctic: building a partnership for sustainable development.” This strategy is built around six pillars: scientific research, climate and environmental protection, economic and human development, transport and connectivity, governance and cooperation, and building national capacity.

Panov elaborated further: “The Northern Sea Route is not just a new shipping lane, it’s the last major addition to global marine logistics for the next few centuries. Given the instability in traditional maritime corridors like the Red Sea and the rising threat of piracy in Southeast Asia, it offers a safe and efficient alternative. India, as a trusted long-term partner of Russia, has a vital role to play in this transformation,” emphasizing the broader stakes.

To support this vision, modern Arctic-class vessels—especially high-ice-class container ships capable of year-round navigation—are critical. There is talk of joint shipbuilding ventures already underway.

An existing sea link between Chennai and Vladivostok could evolve into a major route: Chennai is eyed as a cargo aggregation hub for containerized shipments to Russia, as trade volumes between the two countries grow. To make this viable, a minimum of 100 containers per week would be needed. Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin is scheduled to visit India in December, where discussions on Arctic infrastructure and the Northern Sea Route are expected.

Notably, during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Moscow in July 2024, India and Russia agreed to create a joint working group under their intergovernmental commission to explore expansive cooperation in Arctic shipping.