NewNew Shipping may perform up to 12 voyages between China, Arkhangelsk via NSR during 2026 navigation - authorities
ST. PETERSBURG. April 13 (Interfax) - Chinese company NewNew Shipping Line may perform up to 12 voyages via the Northern Sea Route (NSR) between China and Arkhangelsk during the summer-autumn 2026 navigation period, the deputy head of the Arkhangelsk regional authorities Igor Murayev said at the Federation Council.
"NewNew Shipping Line plans to perform five to six export-import voyages in 2026, in both directions. We are currently forming a cargo base and, accordingly, planning the summer-autumn navigation," Murayev said.
Belarus has also shown interest in cargo transportation through the port of Arkhangelsk, he said.
"The Belarusians also plan to examine our port in order to supply cargo to and from China, and perhaps we will come to an agreement; we are negotiating with the Belarusian Transport Ministry and Industry Ministry to tie all this together," he said.
A round table at the Federation Council also discussed the formation of an investment declaration for the project to build a deep-water area at the Arkhangelsk seaport, presented by Murayev. Participants noted the need to refine issues of attracting a potential cargo base for the investment project, taking into account the balance of volumes declared by cargo owners for other projects under discussion.
As reported, the Arkhangelsk region expects to increase cargo turnover with China via the Northern Sea Route during navigation 2026. In March this year, the region and NewNew Shipping Line signed a memorandum of cooperation for the summer-autumn navigation period.
During the 2024-2025 period, seven export and seven import voyages were carried out as part of the Arctic Express No. 1 project. The total cargo amounted to 17,500 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU).
NewNew Shipping Line launched the Arctic Express No. 1 trade route along the NSR in July 2024. It connected the main Chinese ports of Shanghai and Ningbo with Arkhangelsk via the NSR.
In April 2025, Arkhangelsk region Governor Alexander Tsybulsky said that experimental deliveries of Belarusian products to China via the port of Arkhangelsk were due to begin last year.
It was also reported that capital expenditures for constructing a deep-water area of the Arkhangelsk seaport are estimated at 375 billion rubles. In particular, NewNew Shipping Line may invest up to 200 billion rubles in the project. The project, scheduled until 2032, envisages the reception of cargo ships with a deadweight of up to 75,000 tonnes and a draft of up to 14.5 meters. It is planned that the deep-water area of the Arkhangelsk port will have five terminals.
In the autumn of 2023, the Russian government approved a comprehensive plan for the development of the Arkhangelsk transport hub until 2035. The government decree cited the creation of a deep-water area of the seaport and the construction of a new terminal as the main activities of the plan. It was also forecast that the estimated capacity of the terminal by 2040 would be 25 million tonnes per year. The Dvina Bay of the White Sea was named as the project implementation site.
At the 2024 St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, the Arkhangelsk region, Sberbank and the Eurosib holding company signed an agreement on joint work for implementing the deep-water terminal construction project.
