DB Cargo Full Load Solutions has announced the launch of a route connecting Ningbo in China with Felixstowe in the UK. What has attracted particular attention is the announcement that the vessels will sail through the Arctic Ocean. The transport option was launched in August and is intended to create an alternative route between Chinese and European ports. The Port of Gdańsk is among the destinations served.

The vessels are subject to a maximum draught of 11 metres. Importantly, due to weather conditions, the service is scheduled to operate from August to October. After that, the Arctic Ocean becomes virtually impassable for many vessels due to falling temperatures and thick ice covering the waters. The use of icebreakers does not necessarily make the situation easier, as genuinely powerful vessels are required in these conditions, including nuclear-powered icebreakers. The responsibility for clearing the routes therefore largely falls to Russia, although its ability to provide sufficient icebreaker capacity is questionable given its production capabilities and the impact of sanctions.

The first shipments included machinery components for the automotive industry. The company says, however, that goods from all sectors can be transported. This also includes sensitive cargo, such as battery energy storage systems (BESS), as well as goods requiring special handling due to their flammability or toxicity.

According to DB Cargo, during the period in which vessels can operate on the route, its main advantage is a transit time of 21 days. This makes the connection around three times faster than the route around Africa. Due to the situation in the Middle East, many carriers are avoiding the Red Sea and Suez Canal. In addition, feeder connections from Felixstowe are available with transit times of around five days. Depending on the transport volume, direct connections are also possible to the ports of Hamburg, Antwerp, Rotterdam and Gdańsk, as well as onward trucking to numerous European countries.

DB Cargo Full Load Solutions also provides rail and road connections throughout Europe as part of the DB Cargo FLS network. Alongside conventional rail and multimodal transport solutions, DB Cargo Full Load Solutions also offers combined sea transport services.

The fact that Gdańsk is among the ports visited by vessels using the Arctic route highlights its position in international maritime traffic. It also indicates that, for operators in Asia, extending the route to the Baltic and reaching the Port of Gdańsk can be a commercially viable option. This is particularly relevant because it provides a gateway for intermodal transport, allowing cargo to be distributed further south into Europe by both rail and road. It is worth recalling that in July this year, the first cargo vessel to sail from Asia to Europe via the Arctic arrived at the Port of Gdańsk.

Other companies, primarily Chinese operators, had already begun using the Arctic route, while also developing cooperation with Russian entities. The voyages conducted at the time were intended to demonstrate that the Northern Sea Route can shorten transport between Asia and Europe by as much as several days. The problem, however, is that the route remains heavily dependent on the seasonal weather window and the period during which most of the Arctic waters are covered by ice. Although global warming has extended the navigable season, navigation remains extremely difficult from autumn through spring. As a result, the Arctic route remains largely seasonal, raising questions about its long-term commercial viability.

Given the time constraints affecting the Arctic route and the continuing uncertainty surrounding the situation in the Middle East, it is difficult to determine whether such services will become a regular feature of global trade or remain a niche solution. Much will depend on whether the transport industry considers sending vessels through the Arctic commercially viable even if the Suez Canal route becomes as safe as it was before 2023 and carriers return to using it.

Photo: DB Cargo Full Load Solutions/press release