Container ships shuttling Arctic route between China and Russia carry car components, says Chinese shipper
Amid growing trade between China and Russia, a Chinese business delegation visited Murmansk to inspect the local seaport. The visit comes just days after the first Chinese container carrier sailed the Northern Sea Route to the Russian Arctic port city.
China, which supports Russia in its war of aggression against Ukraine, is sending increasing volumes of goods through the Arctic.
On 19 August, the Xin Xin Hai-1 made a port call in Murmansk. It was reportedly the first Chinese container carrier to have sailed the Northern Sea Route from China to Murmansk. The carrier, classified as a general cargo vessel, sailed from the port of Tianjin and spent about one month on the voyage, according to shipping data.
Shady arrival. The Xin Xin Hai-1 arrived in Murmansk during night on August 19. The port of Murmansk blurred the ship name in an apparent attempt to hide its identity. Video by Port of Murmansk.
The The Xin Xin Hai-1 is owned by the Newnew Shipping Company and is one of several carriers that have been sailing on the Northern Sea Route between Chinese and northern Russian ports since 2023.
In October 2023, one of the company’s vessels, the Newnew Polar Bear, damaged underwater infrastructure in the Baltic Sea in what Finnish and Swedish officials viewed as a possible intentional act of sabotage.
It is not entirely clear what kind of goods are on board the Xin Xin Hai-1 and the other carriers now shuttling on the Northern Sea Route.
According to Ke Jin, CEO of the Newnew Shipping Company, the ships carry spare parts for cars. In a shipping conference in Moscow this month, the businessman said his company can send two Arctic shipments per month and that the cargo consists of components for Chinese car manufacturers in St Petersburg, Moscow, and the Kaliningrad region.
China-Russia trade increased by 26% in the first half of 2026 to a total worth of $159 billion, Ke Jin said at the conference, according to Reuters.
Murmansk Oblast is one of Russia’s most militarised regions. It hosts the Northern Fleet, as well as several major air force and infantry units.
The region’s seaports are increasingly seen as safe havens, as ports in the Black Sea and Baltic Sea are under regular attacks by Ukrainian drones.
The China-Russia trade might not include military hardware, but it includes various technologies and goods needed for Moscow’s war against Ukraine.
On 22 August, Ke Jin was part of a Chinese business delegation shown around Murmansk. According to regional Governor Andrei Chibis, port infrastructure is one of the most prominent areas of cooperation.
"We spent the whole day working with a delegation from the People’s Republic of China in Murmansk," Chibis reported on his VK page.
Forty percent of the region’s foreign trade is now with China, the governor said.
In addition to the Newnew Shipping Company, Sea Legend has announced the start of regular shipments on the Northern Sea Route. According to the company, at least seven of its container carriers will sail on the Arctic route this autumn.
As previously reported by the Barents Observer, the Newnew Shipping Company is closely connected with Russian business interests.
In 2024, the company established a joint venture with Rosatom, the nuclear power company responsible for shipments on the Northern Sea Route.
The Chinese company has signed cooperation agreements with regional authorities in Murmansk and Arkhangelsk.
Newnew Shipping Company is also linked with Torgmoll, a Russian-registered company with offices in Moscow and Shanghai.
