MURMANSK, August 20. /TASS/. The Northern Sea Route (NSR) could become the most reliable and safe route for container shipping between Russia, China, and Europe, Chief Executive Officer of NewNew Shipping Line Ke Jin said.

"The Black Sea route between China and Russia is effectively closed now. Therefore, we believe the Northern Sea Route could become the safest and most reliable route. In the long term, we are interested in developing a container port in Murmansk to contribute to the development of the Northern Sea Route," he said at the ceremony marking the arrival of the first container ship from China to Murmansk via the Northern Sea Route.

The Northern Sea Route is a shipping route in the Russian Arctic. It is nearly half the length of other maritime routes from Europe to the Far East. In particular, the distance from St. Petersburg to Vladivostok is 23,200 km via the Suez Canal, and 14,280 km (40% shorter) via the Northern Sea Route.