30.09.2026, Moscow.
Amid current global logistical chaos on the most important shipping routes, the potential of the Northern Sea Route (NSR) is becoming increasingly in demand from foreign states, Rossa Primavera News Agency‘s Economical Desk notes.
Against this backdrop, the Murmansk commercial seaport is undergoing modernization, with the first container ship from China arriving there via the NSR, and the South Korean merchant fleet is also testing the NSR, sending a vessel from the port of Busan on an experimental voyage to deliver cargo to Europe.
In this regard, the Arctic route with its icebreaker escort and Russian security system no longer looks like an exotic option but a rational choice, Rossa Primavera News Agency notes.
Container cargo transportation between Russia and China via the NSR has been carried out since 2023. Previously, vessels traveling along the NSR arrived at two main Russian ports: the Great Port of St. Petersburg and the Port of Arkhangelsk. This year, for the first time, a container ship from China arrived at the modernized port of Murmansk.
The port has advantages thanks to the possibility of year-round navigation without icebreakers, direct access to neutral ocean waters, and a deep-water berth. After the arrival of the first voyage of the Chinese container ship at the Murmansk port, the governor of the Murmansk region, Andrey Chibis, stated that this voyage is the first step toward turning Murmansk into the main container hub of the Arctic.
China, India, South Korea, and Middle Eastern countries are showing interest in the route.
Today there are many difficulties in the “bottlenecks” of maritime logistics.
The blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, the possible closure of the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, the squeezing of China out of control of the Panama Canal, incidents at the Suez Canal and in Gibraltar, show that the old logistical and production chains, built over decades for maximum cheapness, are today facing a systemic crisis, they are simply breaking apart.
Regarding the incident in the Spanish Ceuta, located at the entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar, into which thousands of migrants from Morocco rushed, a version is being discussed on social media that this was a planned operation organized by the Moroccan authorities with the support of the US and Israel. The US State Department has unequivocally made it clear that the influx of illegal migrants into Ceuta was a direct consequence of Madrid’s irresponsible policy, when Spain refused to participate in the campaign against Iran.
The Strait of Hormuz remains dangerous for shipping; Trump is doing everything possible to maintain the blockade.
In the Panama Canal, the US squeezed out China: a court in Panama deprived the Hong Kong holding CK Hutchison Holdings of the rights to manage two ports.
In the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, there is a threat of blockade. Ansar Allah fighting there have gained the ability to strike merchant ships traveling in this area. A blockade of Bab-el-Mandeb would, in essence, also mean a partial blockade of the Suez Canal.
Real military actions have unfolded over the most important trade arteries: it is no longer enough to simply produce a sought-after finished good or extract raw materials; it must also be delivered to the buyer on time. Accordingly, control of transport communications is no less important than resources and sales markets.
The NSR is a new route; railway connections are needed that would connect Russia’s internal regions with the Arctic route; at the moment, such outlets exist only in Murmansk and Vladivostok. Today all technical solutions have been found; once the infrastructure is completed, the dynamics of all global logistics will change.
Source: Rossa Primavera News Agency
