Published on: 2026-06-25
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian –
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Beijing, June 25 /Xin Hua/ — On June 22, in the port area of Dagukou of the coastal city Tianjin /Northern China/, the barge “Shimeida,” loaded with steel structures and other types of large-sized industrial equipment, successfully completed the customs clearance procedure and headed to the ports of the Baltic Sea, which marked the official start of the 2026 navigation season on the route connecting the port of Tianjin and the countries of Europe via the Arctic. This is stated in a message published on the website of the General Administration of Customs /GAC/ of the PRC.
Being the main waterway of the “Ice Silk Road,” developed within the framework of the “Belt and Road” initiative, the Arctic route is the shortest maritime path connecting East Asia with Northern Europe and the Arctic coastal regions. At the same time, its length is approximately one-third shorter compared to the traditional ocean shipping lines through the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean Sea.
The Arctic shipping route passes through the high-latitude Arctic waters. It is limited by seasonal ice conditions and is suitable for ship movement only from June to October each year. However, thanks to advantages related to stable transportation times and controlled comprehensive costs, this route has become an important additional logistical channel for exports to the international market of large-sized industrial equipment manufactured in the Chinese cities of Beijing and Tianjin, as well as in Hebei Province.
In recent years, the total volume of cargo exports and imports through the Tianjin Free Trade Port, carried out by sea transport along the Arctic route, has been steadily growing. The Lingang Customs of Tianjin city reported that in 2025, an inspection of 520 thousand tons of cargo exported or imported along the Arctic sea route was conducted there, which is approximately 5 times more compared to the 2024 figures. According to the forecast of this customs service, a significant growth in the volume of cargo transportation along the sea route between Tianjin and Europe through the Arctic will also be noted in the current year. -0-
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