On December 6, the inaugural voyage of the China-Europe Arctic Container Express Route was declared a success as the large container ship "Istanbul Bridge" completed its round-trip journey, establishing a "third corridor" for China-Europe trade.

The route set sail from Ningbo on September 23, reaching the UK's Felixstowe Port in 20 days, and subsequently calling at Hamburg in Germany, Gdansk in Poland, and Rotterdam in the Netherlands, with the entire journey taking over 60 days. Compared to traditional routes, this newly launched express route can reach Europe directly in just 18 days, 22 days shorter than the conventional Suez Canal route and about 7 days faster than the fastest China-Europe freight train on land.

After three years of technical verification, the project demonstrated the safety and controllability of large container ships' commercial operation in the Arctic, with no ice damage or time-zone fatigue incidents reported during the voyage. The development and utilization of the Arctic route will not only shorten the spatial and temporal distance between China and Europe but also contribute to achieving "dual carbon" goals and advancing global sustainable development.