Chinese vessel Yong Sheng has finished a record-setting round trip from Europe to north China by sailing through the Arctic waters of the Northeast Passage and docked at Tianjin port on Sunday.

Yong Sheng, a cargo ship operated by China Ocean Shipping (Group) Company (COSCO), the country's top shipping line, is the first Chinese merchant ship sailing from Europe to China via the Northeast Passage, an icy path across the top of Russia and Scandinavia that is believed to alter the way commodities flow to Asia and goods return to Europe.

Yong Sheng sailed nearly 20,000 nautical miles (37,040 kilometers) during the 55-day voyage, a shortcut compared with the route passing through Malacca Strait and the Suez Canal, according to the COSCO.

The 19,000-tonne vessel started a journey from Dalian, a port in northeast China, to Rotterdam, on August 8, 2013, sailing through the Northeast Passage for the first time.

Global warming has transformed the Arctic in recent years and its summer ice cover has dropped over the last few decades, making it possible to sail along the Arctic's sea routes with comparative ease. Endi

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