Shanghai-based Sea Legend Line is set to launch what it says is the world's first regularly scheduled Arctic container service linking China and Europe, with the Dubai Tower due to depart Ningbo-Zhoushan on Saturday and arrive at Britain's Port of Felixstowe on Sept. 5. The company plans one sailing a week through Oct. 3, for a total of eight trips and combined capacity of 15,700 TEU. The route along Russia's northern coast is designed to reduce transit times to about 20 days, versus roughly 30 to 40 days via the Suez Canal, about 25 days by rail and 40 to 50 days around the Cape of Good Hope. The service comes as shippers seek alternatives to disruptions and security risks on traditional corridors, including Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, while China pushes to expand exports of high-value and temperature-sensitive goods such as batteries and energy storage systems. The route remains constrained by a short ice-free season and operational risk, with more than 500 Arctic shipping accidents recorded over the past decade, according to Allianz.