ARKHANGELSK, August 21. /TASS/. The Arctic Express No. 1 route's first vessel in 2025 will deliver timber from Russia to China, the Arkhangelsk Region's Governor Alexander Tsybulsky wrote on Telegram.

"The first vessel in the current navigation, the Newnew Polar Bear, has set off on the Arctic Express No. 1 multi-modal route to deliver export products of our timber processing enterprises from Arkhangelsk to the Chinese ports of Shanghai and Tianjin," the post reads.

The Arkhangelsk commercial seaport has been actively developing and opening up new opportunities for cargo transshipment, he added. In cooperation with China, the port has gained necessary skills of serving container ships, and the port is using additional transshipment equipment to increase work efficiency. The loading and unloading speed has increased by 30-40% against 2024.

The port has been upgrading two cargo platforms to handle two container trains at a time, the governor said. Construction of a container yard of four hectares is underway at the port. The construction is due to be completed in 2026-2027.