Chinese containership Istanbul Bridge is scheduled to arrive at the UK’s largest terminal Felixstowe during the afternoon of October 13. The Panamax vessel completed the 7,500 nautical mile voyage from China via the Arctic Northern Sea Route in just 20 days. A comparable voyage through the Suez Canal measures 11,000 nautical miles and routinely takes between 40-50 days.
Istanbul Bridge’s voyage is the first liner-type service via the polar region connecting Asia and Europe and calling at several Chinese and European ports. It is also the first time a container ship has traveled from China to the UK via the Arctic.