Governor signs contract with Chinese shipper, says Murmansk can become hub for ‘icy silk road’

Cooperation with the shipping company NewNew Shipping Line could give the region a key position in Chinese container shipping across the Arctic, says governor Andrei Chibis. The Chinese company is associated with a ship that was involved in sabotage in the Baltic Sea in 2023.

The agreement between the Murmansk government and the Chinese company will facilitate more container shipments on the Northern Sea Route, Governor Chibis argues. He emphasises that both parties are determined to work for more shipments and better port infrastructure in the region. The ultimate plan is to be able to offer year-round shipments on the Northern Sea Route between China and Russia. The NewNew Shipping Line is associated with the NewNew Polar Bear, the container carrier that was involved in sabotage against underwater infrastructure in the Baltic Sea in 2023. Following the sabotage act, the ship quickly escaped to Russian Arctic waters.

It has since repeatedly sailed on the Northern Sea Route. On August 15, it made a port call in the northern Russian city of Arkhangelsk. Several of the sister ships of the NewNew Polar Bear are also sailing in the region. Judging from the registry of the Northern Sea Route Administration, the NewNew Panda 1, the NewNew Star and the NewNew Star 2 are licensed for sailing on the route. The latter was sailing along the Norwegian coast en route to St.

Petersburg on October 1. According to the NSR Administration, all four ships are sailing for Torgmoll, a company which is closely connected with Russian business interests. Torgmoll is represented by a member in the Russian-Chinese Business Forum, and is headed by Yelena V. Maksimova. Judging from a Russian business registry, Maksimova is connected with Ke Jin, a representative of the NewNew Shipping Line in Russia.

The new agreement with the Murmansk government has been signed by Fan Yuxin, the director of the Newnew Shipping Line. Fan has previously signed a similar agreement with the regional government of Arkhangelsk as well. The plans for major growth in shipping on the Northern Sea Route come on the backdrop of Russia’s war of aggression and the international sanctions imposed on Russian companies. Moscow is increasingly taking risks in the remote Arctic waters and several of the ships that now sail in the remote and icy waters do not have ice-class protection. Among them are at least two of the container carriers operated by the Newnew Shipping Line.