In the early hours of a late September morning, a container ship called the Istanbul Bridge set sail from China, destined for Europe and laden with cargo — everything from batteries to clothing. So far, so standard, but there’s a twist. Instead of navigating south on a journey toward the Suez Canal, the ship pushed north to steer a course through the frigid water of the Arctic Ocean using the Northern Sea Route. The journey is seen as a major step forward in China’s quest to build out a “Polar