Russia, China push to double Arctic shipping as trade routes shift

Russia and China plan to significantly expand cargo shipments along the Northern Sea Route (NSR), with a goal of at least doubling volumes by 2030, according to the head of Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom.

Speaking in Beijing, Rosatom Director General Alexei Likhachev said Chinese partners intend to conduct more than 10 transit voyages along the Arctic shipping corridor to European ports during the summer navigation season of 2026.

“A transit took place last year — a unique one, the first in human history — a transit voyage from ports in China to ports in Western Europe, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands. It took just 20 days, and we now know of the desire of our [Chinese] partners during the ‘summer water’ period to carry out more than 10 such voyages,” Likhachev said.

He noted that cargo traffic along the NSR exceeded 37 million tonnes in 2025, with Chinese shipments accounting for approximately 15%, or about 5 million tonnes.

Likhachev added that Rosatom is also pursuing expanded cooperation with China in Arctic shipbuilding.

“We are forming ambitious plans to at least double by 2030 the entire volume of cargo transportation along the Northern Sea Route. But something tells me we will reach these parameters much earlier, because <...> demand has intensified sharply in recent months,” he said.

The Northern Sea Route, which runs along Russia’s Arctic coastline, is being promoted by Moscow as a faster alternative to traditional shipping lanes between Asia and Europe.

By Tamilla Hasanova