When the Istanbul Bridge became the first container ship to take the Arctic route from China to Europe last month, it did more than make history, it demonstrated how route optimisation and vessel speed interact to shape service quality and CO₂ emissions.

Regular route (via Cape of Good Hope):
📏 Distance: 25,322 km
🕓 Time: 38.5 days
⚙️ Avg speed: 14.7 kn
🌍 Emissions per TEU: 1.64 tCO₂e

Since the Suez canal is still not actively used, the route around the Cape of Good Hope is long, slow, and forcing vessels to slow steam.

Arctic route:
📏 Distance: 14,538 km
🕓 Time: 19.5 days
⚙️ Avg speed: 16.6 kn
🌍 Emissions per TEU: 1.12 tCO₂e

By going north, emissions per 20" container fell 32%, while transit time was halved.

What’s interesting is that distance alone doesn’t explain it. The Arctic route is 43% shorter so, in theory, emissions should also drop by 43%. But because the route was so much shorter the vessel could decide travel at higher speeds, burning more fuel per kilometre. In other words, speed eats into some of the distance savings.

Still, the result is striking: a one-third cut in CO₂ and twice-as-fast delivery, showing how routing decisions can reshape both carbon and commercial performance.

At Lune, we use satellite and terrestrial AIS data to track vessels continuously, capturing not just the route and total distance but the actual speed profile throughout the voyage. By combining this with engine efficiency data and fuel type, we can calculate emissions with high accuracy, giving companies the confidence to report precisely and take real decarbonisation action based on the true performance of their supply chains.