Mediterranean Shipping Company has reaffirmed it will not use Russia’s Northern Sea Route, with chief executive Søren Toft warning that navigation risks remain too high for crews and that Arctic transits threaten fragile ecosystems, according to a statement posted by Toft on social media.
The carrier said it “do not and will not use the Northern Sea Route,” arguing that safe navigation cannot be assured and that operational exposure for seafarers remains unacceptable.
Toft said any increase in traffic would intensify pressure on vulnerable environments and local communities, adding that MSC has no operational need for the Arctic corridor as its existing fleet deployment and global network already support worldwide cargo flows.
The company has reiterated the same position in earlier customer and corporate communications, including a September 2025 advisory stating that the route remains underdeveloped for commercial shipping and offers no operational rationale for MSC’s services.
Environmental risks have consistently underpinned MSC’s stance.
In an April 2021 newsroom statement, Toft said the Northern Sea Route was neither a quick fix nor a viable long-term solution, with the group highlighting concerns such as black carbon emissions and broader navigational hazards in Arctic waters.
Mediterranean Shipping Company is a privately owned international shipping and logistics group headquartered in Geneva, established in 1970 by Gianluigi Aponte, and operating across container shipping, logistics and multimodal transport services. Søren Toft has served as MSC’s chief executive since December 2020.