Image credit: Â Courtesy of Alan Soutar.
NewNew Star, a Hong Kong-flagged container ship, has made history by becoming the largest non-ice class vessel to navigate the Arctic.
Departing from China in August, the 3,534 TEU ship successfully passed through the Bering Strait and entered Russia’s Northern Sea Route. With a gross tonnage of 35,975 tonnes and a length of 231 meters, it surpassed all previous container ships in size.
The ship’s owner, Yangpu NewNew Shipping Company, has been using smaller ice-capable vessels for Arctic transits. NewNew Star is their largest ship and part of their plan to establish a regular summer-season service to Arkhangelsk and St. Petersburg.
Yangpu’s fleet includes NewNew Polar Bear, which was involved in an incident last year when it damaged the Balticconnector natural gas pipeline.
In 2023, Yangpu completed seven Arctic transits with four different vessels. This year, they aim for a dozen trips and are well on their way.
NewNew Moon, another Yangpu vessel, is currently sailing ahead of NewNew Star and has already passed through the East Siberian Sea.