ARKHANGELSK, August 13. /TASS/. The first vessel from China sailed to Arkhangelsk along the Arctic Express No 1 route, the Arkhangelsk Region administration's press service said, adding the ship had delivered car spare parts, household appliances and consumer goods.
"The first ship from China has sailed to the port of Arkhangelsk along the Arctic Express No 1 new logistics route. The Chinese vessel has delivered spare parts for cars, household appliances and consumer goods, having covered 6,600 nautical miles. In a few days it will head for China carrying products from Arkhangelsk exporters: paper, cardboard, pulp and lumber," the release reads.
The Arkhangelsk Region's First Deputy Governor Alexey Alsufyev, Adviser to the Chinese Ambassador to Russia Gao Shixian, Chairman of the Union of Chinese Entrepreneurs in Russia Zhou Liqun, and NewNew Shipping Line's CEO Ke Jin, welcomed the ship.
The ship has delivered almost 500 containers to Arkhangelsk. "In another two weeks we expect two more ships which will bring about 700-800 containers," the press service quoted the first deputy governor as saying. "The most important thing is that we now have a direct logistics connection with the country's center: containers are transported from the Moscow Region to Arkhangelsk, from where they will go to China along with products of the local timber industry companies." The Arctic Express No 1 route connects China's major ports with Arkhangelsk along the Northern Sea Route.
Last year, the first direct voyage in recent ten years from Arkhangelsk to Shanghai went along the Northern Sea Route to deliver lumber in containers. China's carrier NewNew Shipping Line plans to make ten ship calls within this year's navigation, thus ensuring a regular export-import container line between Russia and China.
In May, 2024, the Arkhangelsk Region's government, the Torgmall Company and the Arkhangelsk Commercial Seaport inked an agreement to boost container traffic from Arkhangelsk along the Northern Sea Route.