By Malte Humpert (gCaptain) In a further sign of the dramatic climatic changes occurring in the Arctic, two major container ships for the first time passed each other just 750 nautical miles from the North Pole. Both vessels are connecting Chinese ports to Russia’s Saint Petersburg.
The encounter played out on Wednesday night at almost 80 degrees northern latitude east of the archipelago of Novaya Zemlya with the two vessels passing in opposite directions just a few nautical miles from each other.
Flying Fish 1, the first-ever Panamax container ship to venture into the Arctic, is traveling from Saint Petersburg in the Baltic Sea to Qingdao in northeastern China. Carrying close to 5,000 containers across a length of 294 meters it sets a new record for largest box ship to travel across Russia’s Northern Sea Route.
This summer is turning out to be a breakout moment for container shipping on the route. Just a week earlier Flying Fish 1’s counterpart, NewNew Star, had itself become the largest container ship in the Arctic, only to be surpassed by Flying Fish 1 days later.
NewNew Star is transporting up to 3,534 TEU from Nansha, China to Saint Petersburg.
The route of Flying Fish 1 and NewNew Star connecting China to Russia via the Arctic and their encounter on September 11. (Source: Shipatlas)
Both vessels are operated by Chinese or Hong Kong-based companies. Apart from Danish Maersk’s trial voyage of Venta Maersk in 2018, Arctic container shipping has been dominated by Chinese vessels.
Flying Fish 1’s owner EZ Safetrans Logistics, holds Arctic permits for two more of its Panamax vessels, SFT Turkey and SFT Egypt.
For much of the past decade Arctic shipping experts have voiced skepticism about the possibility of regular and routine container shipping via the Arctic. But between EZ Safetrans Logistics and NewNew Star’s owner, Yangpu NewNew Shipping Company, two expanding operators have now established dedicated Arctic services.
While year-round liner service remains an aspiration for the future, the recent developments indicate that limited Arctic container shipping is becoming increasingly feasible during the summer and fall navigation season.
By Alaric Nightingale Jun 13, 2025 (Bloomberg) —Israel’s airstrikes on Iran have led to increased jamming of the signals of vessels operating in the Middle East, the world’s largest oil producing...
Commercial shipping in the Middle East may face a new threat after a wave of Israeli attacks against Iran’s military and nuclear leadership further destabilised the already volatile region, with concerns rising over a potential blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
Israel launched extensive pre-emptive airstrikes against Iran early Friday morning in a major escalation of regional tensions, targeting Tehran’s military leadership, scientific experts, and nuclear facilities—an action with significant implications...
June 13, 2025
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