Port Of Murmansk Receives First Container Shipment From China Via Northern Sea Route

The first container ship operated by Chinese shipping company NewNew Shipping Line (NNSL) has arrived at Murmansk Commercial Sea Port in Russia after sailing from China through the Northern Sea Route (NSR).

The ship, Xin Xin Hai 1, reached the port on Wednesday night carrying automotive components. It brought about 500 containers to Murmansk, according to an earlier statement by Murmansk region Governor Andrei Chibis.

The port said this was its first experience handling container cargo delivered through the Northern Sea Route.

The 29,000-deadweight-tonne vessel was built in 2012 and later modified to carry containers. AIS data showed that it left Tianjin, China, on July 19.

NewNew Shipping’s Arctic Express N1 service has operated since 2024, connecting China’s Shanghai and Ningbo with Arkhangelsk through the Northern Sea Route.

NewNew Shipping plans more Arctic activity

NNSL General Director Ke Jin said on August 18 that the company was interested in investing in and helping modernise Russian ports and logistics infrastructure along the Northern Sea Route.

Speaking at the Russia and China – Mutually Beneficial Cooperation international forum in Kazan, Ke said the company was particularly interested in projects involving the Arctic ports of Murmansk and Arkhangelsk. He also said NNSL was interested in the possibility of taking an equity stake in the port of Ust-Luga.

NNSL Board Chairman Fan Yuxin said the company wanted to develop Murmansk as a logistics hub and was looking for a long-term partnership.

Chibis had earlier said preparations were under way for the new service, including cooperation with NewNew Shipping and investment in the port. He also mentioned plans for a terminal to handle transshipment of cargo from Belarus.

More ships planned for the Northern Sea Route

NewNew Shipping first tested the Northern Sea Route in 2023. It plans to use three vessels on the route during 2026.

The Xin Xin Hai 1 and its sister ship, Xin Xin Hai 2, are handling the earlier voyages this season.

The service includes calls at Nansha, Shanghai, Rizhao and Tianjin in China, followed by Murmansk and then Saint Petersburg.

Xin Xin Hai 1 is expected to return to China through the Northern Sea Route. Xin Xin Hai 2 is scheduled to begin its voyage from China this month and return in September.

Another vessel, the NewNew Polar Bear, is scheduled to make the final voyage of the season in mid-October, travelling from Nansha to Saint Petersburg and Kaliningrad. A return trip through the Northern Sea Route would not be possible that late in the season.

The NewNew Polar Bear has a capacity of 4,363 TEU and is a 53,697-deadweight-tonne vessel. It previously attracted attention after being accused of dragging its anchor and damaging an undersea cable in the Baltic.

NewNew Shipping has said it wants to move 1.2 million tonnes of cargo on the Arctic route during the 2027 summer navigation season. The company plans to have six ARC-3 vessels, each capable of carrying up to 4,800 TEU. It says the fleet could support two sailings per month.

Murmansk port handles mainly bulk cargo

Murmansk Commercial Sea Port is considered the largest stevedoring company in Russia’s Arctic zone. It has the capacity to handle 24 million tonnes of cargo a year.

The port mainly handles coal, pellets, manganese ore, crushed stone and general cargo, including shipments for Arctic and local destinations. It also handles ammonium nitrate transshipment.

MCSP handled 9.73 million tonnes of cargo in 2025, down 30.4% from the previous year. From January to July this year, it handled 5.49 million tonnes, a 19.3% decline from the same period a year earlier.

JSC Port Alliance was established in March 2024 and includes MCSP, Murmansk Bulker Terminal, Murmansk Container Terminal, Tuapse Bulker Terminal, Daltransugol and Maly Port Stevedoring Company in Nakhodka. The combined capacity of the five assets is more than 53 million tonnes of cargo per year.

Reference: Interfax