Chinese liner adding up to 10 boxships on Northern Sea Route next year
Chinese shipping company NewNew Shipping Line will add an additional eight to ten containerships on the Northern Sea Route (NSR) line in 2024.
According to Russian media, NewNew Shipping Line’s representative Ke Jin revealed this at the Eastern Economic Forum being held in Vladivostok, Russia. Jin also stated that ten more voyages would be made by the end of the year and that the voyages were more profitable since they saved up to 20 days when compared to the traditional round voyage between Shanghai and Saint-Petersburg.
He was quoted by media outlet PortNews as stating that the NSR was a safer route with no threat from pirates and that ships don’t suffer delays due to congestion like in the Suez Canal.
In July 2023, NewNew Shipping Line, which is part of the Torgmoll logistics group, launched a regular 25-day container line between China and Arkhangelsk, Saint-Petersburg, and Kaliningrad along the NSR.
The line is serviced by four container ships, but the company has previously announced plans to put five vessels on the NSR during the 2023 season. When five in operation, four ships were supposed to work on the route from China to St. Petersburg and Kaliningrad while one ship was supposed to work on the route from China to Arkhangelsk.
According to VesselsValue, NewNew Shipping has four vessels in its fleet – the 2005-built 1,638 teu Newnew Polar Bear boxship, the 2,202 teu 1999-built Newnew Moon, the 3,534 teu 2007-built Newnew Star, and the 3,429 teu 1997-built Xin He Lu 2.
It is also waiting on two purchased vessels to be delivered – the 3,534 teu 2007-built Northern Defender and the 4,363 teu 2007-built TS Kelang.
