Gdynia on the Arctic trail from China. Eight voyageduring the season

Sea Legend announced the launch of a seasonal container connection from China to Europe through the North Sea Road. From August to October the operator plans eight voyageand Gdynia is among the European ports served by the new connection.

Eight voyageThe North Sea Road

First voyage The Arctic connection is scheduled to begin on August 12. According to the presented Sea Legend schedule, it plans eight exits from China, carried out weekly until the end of September. The last vessel should complete the European part of the seasonal crossing on 27 October.

The operator intends to direct seven container ships. Ship Dubai Tower He's about to cross the North Sea Road twice. First voyage It will begin on 12 August and the second on 30 September. The program also included container ships Riyadh Mukaab, Athens Odeon, Istanbul Bridge, Tiger Maanshan, Tiger Bintulu and Tiger Lianyungang. 

Port Gdynia was designated as one of the European ports covered by the new Sea Legend merger. However, this does not mean that each of the eight voyageThis will include wrapping to Poland. This timetable does not assign individual ships to specific ports.

Charges from Chinese ports will go to Ningbo-Zhoushan

Charges from Dalian, Qingdao, Shanghai, Taicang, Fuzhou and Nansha are to be delivered to the port of Ningbo-Zhoushan, where they will be consolidated before the cruise to Europe.

After passing through North Sea Road the ships are to head to ports in northern Europe. Among the main ports are Felixstowe, Rotterdam, Wilhelmshaven and our Gdynia. The operator's promotional material also lists other ports to which loads can be diverted within the European network of connections.

Sea Legend, a Singaporen shipping company developing maritime transport between Asia and Europe, stands behind the new merger. Its general agent in Poland is the Gdynia company ATC Cargo, which is responsible for the sale of shipowner services and supports the operation of its operations on the Polish market.

The route announced by the Arctic is to be seasonal and regular rather than limited to a single show cruise. Container ships will use the North Sea Road in the summer-to-winter navigation window when ice conditions allow shipping through Russian part of the Arctic.

Containers are expected to reach Europe in about 20-22 days

The biggest advantage of the new connection is the shorter transition time. Sea Legend declares that containers can reach the first ports of northern Europe in just 20–22 days.

This is much shorter than in the case of traditional sea transport via the Suez Canal or around the Cape of Good Hope. The operator also compares transport time with rail transport between China and Europe, which is faster than most maritime connections but offers less capacity.

The Arctic route was checked by Sea Legend in 2025. Container Istanbul Bridge it then sailed from Ningbo-Zhoushan to Felixstowe in about 20 days, despite delays due to weather conditions. The ship then rolled to further European ports, including to the terminal Baltic Hub in Gdańsk.

In the season 2026 the Polish port indicated in the operator's materials is already Gdynia.

Smaller container ships instead of the largest ocean vessels

Ships headed for the North Sea Road will be much smaller than the largest container ships operating connections between Asia and Europe. Their capacity ranges from approximately 1.5 thousand to less than 4.9 thousand TEUs.

The largest ship in the announced service will be Istanbul Bridge with a capacity of 4890 TEU. For comparison, the largest container ships used on the main routes through the Suez Canal can carry over 20,000 TEUs.

The Arctic service will therefore not compete with traditional routes in terms of transport scale. Its main asset is the delivery time. Sea Legend announces the reception of standard and refrigeration containers, oversized loads and dangerous goods, including batteries.

The operator also declares that a shorter route will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by about 50% compared to southern routes. However, this is the calculation provided by the company. No detailed methodology has been published to independently verify this value.

Regularity voyageThis will be the most important test

Shipping North Sea Road is possible in a limited seasonal window, whose length depends on ice and weather conditions. Operators must also take into account the availability of icebreakers, insurance costs and limited rescue and port infrastructure on the Russian Arctic coast.

In the case of container transport, it is particularly important to keep the timetable. Regular connections require permanent departure dates for ships and efficient cooperation between ports, railways, road transport and haulage connections. Even short delays on the Arctic route can disrupt further cargo transport in Europe.

Eight voyageThe Sea Legend will therefore be the first attempt to launch a regular weekly container connection by the Arctic. The indication of Gdynia as one of the ports covered by this connection is important for Polish maritime transport, but only the implementation of the announced notifications will show the actual scale of handling of cargo sent to Poland.