Could 'Arctic Corridor' link China and Europe freight via Finland?

They say that you learn something every day – well, here's a fact that I didn't know yesterday… Helsinki in Finland has the closest major EU airport to China, and a flight time to Beijing of just seven and a half hours.

The excellent strategic location of Finland which makes the flight so short could soon prove to be useful in cutting shipping costs and times for freight and cargo traffic between China and Europe.

That's because a so-called 'Arctic Corridor' is being planned.

The cargo vessel 'Fesco Vladimir' navigates a channel cleared by an icebreaker, as a man fishes in the frozen Gulf of Finland on March 15, 2011. [File Photo: AP/Dmitry Lovetsky]

Ships from China would dock in the far North of Finland in Kirkenes, before their cargo of freight would be transported around Europe by rail, and finally road.

This would save cargo ships thousands of miles of sailing, but the plan isn't quite ready to implement yet.

Firstly, the rail infrastructure between the North of Finland and the rest of Europe simply isn't up to the task of taking on significant freight traffic yet.

Significant expansion would also be needed at Kirkenes or alternative port facilities to enable the largest vessels to dock.

Nevertheless, it's a plan that investors in both China and Finland are keen to see come to fruition.

More detailed proposals are expected to be released over the next few weeks.