In 1996, the Arctic Council was created as an intergovernmental forum to promote cooperation between the Arctic states. The Council brings together the eight countries that border the Arctic region, the smallest part of the world’s oceans: Canada, the United States, Iceland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Russia, with Russia controlling the largest share of Arctic coastline. 

Later, in May 2013, the Council recognized several countries as permanent observers, including China, given its growing number of requests and expeditions in the area. That same August, the Chinese container ship Yong Sheng, operated by the Chinese state-owned shipping company COSCO, traveled from Dalian (Liaoning, China) to Rotterdam in 33 days via the Arctic on a route of about 8,100 nautical miles, 2,400 nautical miles shorter than the traditional route through the Suez Canal. 

Since then, several countries have made progress in Arctic exploration and policy, but commercial activity has not seen any significant new developments, at least until now. The Chinese shipping company Sea Legend Shipping recently completed the first test voyage using what Beijing has dubbed the Ice Silk Road and plans to make it permanent starting in the summer of 2026, at least during the summer-fall season from July 1 to November 30. It will operate as a traditional regular liner service, with stops at multiple points, something unprecedented in the Arctic until now. 

Specifically, the voyage was made by the ship Istanbul Bridge, which departed on September 23 from the port of Ningbo-Zhoushan (Zhejiang, China) and, after 26 days of sailing, accompanied by icebreakers, docked at the port of Gdansk (Poland) on October 19. The ship made two stops, the first in Felixstowe, the largest container port in the United Kingdom, which it reached in 20 days, and then in Germany. According to Li Xiaobin, director of operations at Sea Legend Shipping, this improvement in transit speeds up supply chains reduces companies’ inventory needs by 40 %, and lowers capital costs. 

Thus, the biggest and main advantage of this new route, also called the Northern Sea Route (NSR), is the reduction in time: it allows ships to reach the first European port in Kirkenes (Norway) in less than 20 days. This represents a significant saving, given that the two traditional alternatives take around 40 days through the Suez Canal and more than 50 days around Africa via the Cape of Good Hope. It also reduces the 25-day journey required by the China–Europe Railway Express, while maritime transport has much higher cargo capacity. Meanwhile, global routes through the Panama Canal have recently been disrupted by low water levels caused by severe droughts in the region. 

In addition to saving time and transit costs, which makes China more competitive against its trading rivals, the Ice Silk Road help reduce carbon emissions by roughly 30 % compared with the Suez route (and about 50 % compared with going around the Cape of Good Hope) and provide greater security for trade by sailing through non-conflict waters compared to the current passage through the Horn of Africa, where congestion, regional conflicts, and piracy are still frequent. 

Russia is also collaborating closely on the project. On November 25 last year, the director general of the State Atomic Energy Corporation (Rosatom), Alexey Likhachev, and China’s Minister of Transport, Liu Wei, held the first meeting of their bilateral Subcommittee on Cooperation on the Northern Sea Route in St. Petersburg. Both sides agreed to continue discussions on the development of maritime transport, navigation safety, and polar ship technology and construction. 

Both countries are aware of the importance of the Strait of Malacca in global maritime transport. It is currently considered one of the areas where the US Navy can exercise a high degree of control, and if the US were to block it in the context of a potential conflict (imposing an embargo on China), this would pose major commercial and logistical problems, as well as problems for China’s oil supply, which, if insufficient, could lead to an energy crisis. 

Therefore, in geopolitical terms, the Ice Silk Road would function as a new, secure, and reliable route for both nations. Eventually, it will provide a major boost to the development of their economies, given the growing commercial and mining activity that both countries are carrying out in the Arctic. Russia has made large investments in port, road, and military infrastructure along its entire northern coast. According to Rosatom, a 50 % increase in transit is expected this year. In 2024, cargo volumes on the Northern Sea Route reached a record of about 38 million tons in total via 90 ships. Russia reports that, during the first four months of 2025, it has already received applications for navigation permits for 196 voyages during the summer–fall season. 

Examples of this include the new megaport in the Taymyr Peninsula, which Russian state oil company Rosneft is building involving $100 billion in investment and which, according to company estimates, could add about 2 % points to Russia’s annual GDP growth. Another example is the Yamal LNG project, which, with support from the Chinese government, allows Russia and China to access new liquefied natural gas deposits on the Yamal Peninsula. 

A 2008 study by the United States Geological Survey estimates that the Arctic contains about 13 % of the world’s undiscovered oil and 30 % of its undiscovered natural gas, and that roughly 84 % of these Arctic resources are located offshore. Another study, conducted by the consulting firm Wood Mackenzie, estimates the existence of reserves containing 75 % gas and 25 % oil. 

Ultimately, countries that develop technical expertise, mapping, navigation, entry and exit logistics, icebreakers, and extraction more quickly will enjoy advantages that will last for decades. 

However, the Ice Silk Road raises serious climate concerns, according to Andrew Dumbrille, advisor to the Clean Arctic Alliance, speaking to CNN. Far from facilitating navigation through crystal-clear waters, melting ice could make the Arctic even more dangerous, as sea ice can damage ships or ground them, forcing them to change course or turn back. 

For its part, Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), the world’s largest shipping company, has announced its commitment not to use the Ice Silk Road, citing the environmental impact of operating in a “fragile ecosystem” and the risks of a route where “the safety of navigation and transit is not guaranteed.” 

By Beñat Berasaluze Rodríguez