South Korea container ship sets sail to test Arctic commercial route amid Western concerns

SEOUL: A South Korean container ship sets sail on Saturday (Aug 22) for Europe via the Arctic in the nation's first commercial voyage on the route to test its viability, with the hope of turning the southeastern port of Busan into a global maritime hub.

The PanStar Acro will sail north, hugging eastern Russia's Kamchatka peninsula, cross the Bering Sea, and take the Northern Sea Route, stopping in Felixstowe in Britain, Rotterdam in the Netherlands and Poland's Gdansk before returning on a journey expected to take 40 to 45 days.

President Lee Jae Myung has made Arctic shipping a priority for South Korea, a shipping powerhouse. Officials say this could help transform Busan and position the Arctic as a regular trade route by 2030.

But the project risks friction with Western allies hoping to keep Russia isolated during its war in Ukraine. Seoul has consulted with Moscow about the journey, including whether the ship needed help to tackle any problems, such as getting stuck in ice.

South Korea's Oceans Ministry and Russia's Foreign Ministry did not respond to requests ​for comment.

Last year, 88 vessels made 103 transits through the route, up from 97 in 2024 and 43 in 2022, chiefly from nations such as Russia and China, according to Norway's Centre for High North Logistics.

Melting Arctic ice has made passage through the north easier, while the increased shipping in turn accelerates global warming, scientists say.

The 2,758 TEU (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Unit) container ship operated by South Korea's PanStar has secured 837 TEU of cargo including auto parts, chemical products and about 100 empty containers on the government-backed voyage.

The PanStar Acro is scheduled to flag off at around 8pm (11am GMT) depending on loading and preparations, a government official said.