The Liberian-flagged container ship Dubai Tower, which became the first vessel to operate a scheduled weekly container service between China and Europe via Russia’s Northern Sea Route, is returning to Asia by way of the Suez Canal rather than the Arctic. According to ship tracking data from Pole Star Global, the 1,740 TEU vessel was midway through a southbound transit of the Suez Canal in the early hours of October 5, having sailed to the Mediterranean after completing port calls across the UK, North Europe and the Baltic. The ship had departed Ningbo on August 15 and was originally scheduled to arrive in Felixstowe by September 5 via the Arctic route, but arrived later than planned, first calling at a multipurpose terminal in Teesport on September 9 before continuing to Felixstowe and onward ports.
Operated by Chinese carrier Sea Legend under its branded “China-Europe Arctic Express” or “Ice Silk Road” service, the Dubai Tower’s outbound Arctic transit was promoted as proof that the Northern Sea Route could offer a viable seasonal alternative to the Suez Canal and the Red Sea, cutting transit times roughly in half. Sea Legend has scheduled eight weekly Arctic sailings between Ningbo-Zhoushan and UK/North European ports through early October, but the decision to route the first vessel home via Suez rather than back through the Arctic underscores that delivering a reliable two-way logistics service on the polar route has yet to be proven, even as the ship demonstrated that outbound Arctic transits are achievable during the summer ice season.
Source: Seatrade Maritime News
