Chinese cargo ship sets sail for Arctic short-cut A Chinese cargo ship is attempting the country's first ever commercial transit of the Northeast Passage above Russia, as global warming opens a short-cut that promises to reduce shipping times between China and Europe. The Yongsheng, a 19,000-tonne vessel operated by state-owned Cosco Group, set sail on August 8 from Dalian, a port in northeastern China, bound for Rotterdam. According to an announcement on Cosco's website, the journey via the Bering Strait could shave as much as 15 days off the traditional route through the Suez Canal and Mediterranean Sea. Also known as the northern sea route, the Northeast Passage is attracting increased attention from shipping companies as retreating sea ice opens Arctic sea lanes for longer periods each year. Russian authorities have granted 372 permits this year to ships intent on sailing all or some of the 2,900km passage, compared with 46 full Asia-Europe transits last year and four in 2010. But analysts caution that it will be years before the route, which is only passable for a few months, is commercially viable let alone a rival to the Suez Canal, which handled more than 17,000 ships in 2012. "Climate change is certainly opening new Arctic shipping routes," said Cameron Dueck, an author who sailed Canada's Northwest Passage in 2009. But the most common routes through the [Arctic] continue to have ice even in the warmest years, meaning shipping companies will have to be selective and opportunistic in using them. Besides the Suez Canal, the traditional maritime route linking China to the EU passes through the contested South China Sea, the Strait of Malacca and pirate-infested waters in the Indian Ocean. The voyage between Dalian and Rotterdam along this route takes 48 days. By sailing the Northeast Passage, the Yongsheng is expected to reach its destination on September 11, a transit time of 35 days. China, which claims to be a "near-Arctic state," has become more aggressive in asserting its interests in the northern Pacific and Arctic Oceans. In May Beijing secured "permanent observer" status at the Arctic Council, a group uniting the eight countries with territory in the polar region. Last month Chinese navy vessels sailed into the Sea of Okhotsk via the Soya Strait between Russia and Japan. Chinese state media heralded the navy's ability to "break through the first island chain blockade" - a reference to Japan, Taiwan and other archipelagos that restrict China's access to the Pacific.