China may reduce reliance on Straits of Hormuz and Malacca via NSR — Fortune

China may reduce reliance on Straits of Hormuz and Malacca via NSR — Fortune According to the publication, interest in the Arctic route has surged following the effective suspension of shipping in the Strait of Hormuz due to the war involving the US, Israel, and IranNEW YORK, August 19. /TASS/. The Northern Sea Route (NSR) could become a viable alternative to the Straits of Hormuz and Malacca for China amid global trade disruptions and rising geopolitical risks, Fortune magazine reported. According to the publication, interest in the Arctic route has surged following the effective suspension of shipping in the Strait of Hormuz due to the war involving the US, Israel, and Iran, alongside threats in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the Red Sea. These developments have increased transit times, fuel and insurance costs, and heightened instability in global supply chains, the article notes. The magazine suggests that broader use of the Northern Sea Route could also reduce China's dependence on the Strait of Malacca. Approximately 80% of China's oil imports pass through this strategic maritime corridor connecting the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea. On August 15, Chinese shipping company Sea Legend Shipping launched a regular container service from China to Europe via the NSR, the magazine noted. Containers will cover the distance in 20-22 days under a fixed schedule. The route primarily targets high-value cargo requiring rapid delivery, including cross-border e-commerce goods, lithium batteries, photovoltaic products, and automotive components. In July 2024, NewNew Shipping Line launched the "Arctic Express No. 1" trade route, linking the ports of Shanghai and Ningbo with Arkhangelsk via the NSR. Later, in June 2026 at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), the Murmansk Region authorities agreed with the Chinese company on the first direct transshipment of around 500 containers through the Murmansk Commercial Sea Port. The Northern Sea Route is a shipping route in the Russian Arctic that runs along Russia's northern shores of the Arctic Ocean seas (the Barents, Kara, Laptev, East Siberian, Chukchi and Bering Seas). It connects Russia's European and Far Eastern ports, as well as mouths of navigable Siberian rivers, into a single transport system. NSR's length from the Kara Gate Strait to the Providence Bay is 5,600 km. 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