Sea Legend Shipping’s vessel Dubai Tower arrives in the port of the Teesport in the UK, on September 9, 2026. Photo: Courtesy of Sea Legend Shipping

Chinese container shipping company Sea Legend’s vessel Dubai Tower arrived in the UK after sailing from Ningbo port in East China’s Zhejiang Province via the Northern Sea Route in Arctic, a source from the Ningbo-Zhoushan Port Group told the Global Times on Thursday. The 1,740-TEU Dubai Tower called at the UK’s Port of Teesport on Wednesday, according to the source. 

At around 8 pm on Wednesday, as the shore crane at Teesport lifted and lowered containers, Sea Legend Shipping’s first 2026 China-Europe Arctic Express voyage, operated by Dubai Tower, entered the Teesport Port. This marks a solid step forward in the company’s regular operation of the China-Europe Arctic Express.

Li Xiaobin, chief operating officer of Sea Legend Shipping confirmed to the Global Times on Thursday that the sailing took about 20 days from Ningbo to Teesport, and that the Arctic route offers Chinese exporters a faster and more stable alternative as Red Sea disruption continues.  

According to the company’s statement, the voyage started on August 15, with the vessel initially scheduled to depart from Ningbo-Zhoushan Port. However, as Typhoon Dolphin approached, Sea Legend adjusted the calling sequence to improve safety, making Ningbo the first Chinese port of call, followed by Shanghai and Taicang, before Qingdao served as the final domestic port.

The ship left Chinese waters on August 19.

The cargo on board totaled 1,370 TEUs, including energy-storage containers, power batteries, photovoltaic modules and other high-value, temperature-sensitive goods from manufacturing hubs in the Yangtze River Delta and Pearl River Delta regions, according to the company,

After sailing through the Bering Strait and into the Arctic, Dubai Tower encountered changing ice conditions. Sea Legend Shipping said the vessel’s route across the Northeast Passage was continuously adjusted based on the latest ice forecasts and real-time conditions, allowing it to complete the journey safely to northern England.

The company said the voyage also produced a range of operational data, including actual speeds in open water and ice-covered waters, fuel consumption for main and auxiliary engines, ice evolution in key Arctic waters, detours and speed reductions caused by drifting ice, and schedule deviations linked to ice disruptions.

The company added that, amid continuing disruptions in the Red Sea, the Arctic route provides Chinese exporters with a more reliable and diversified ocean transport option: the outbound voyage via the Northeast Passage and the return voyage via the Suez Canal.

This is the first of eight planned voyages that the Sea Legend will run through the Arctic this season. According to Li, following Teesport, future sailings are expected to call at major European ports including Felixstowe, Hamburg and Gdynia.

The route is expected to cut transit time to Europe to about 20 days one way, nearly halving transport time compared with traditional routes, while reducing carbon emissions by about 50 percent per voyage, Li added.