On Saturday, South Korea will send a container ship to Europe through the Arctic to test the route’s commercial viability, opened up by the melting of sea ice, while risking clashes with Western allies because it requires cooperation with Russia, UNN reports, citing Reuters.
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The publication notes that, if successful, this will be South Korea’s first such commercial voyage to Europe through the Arctic, putting it alongside China and Russia among the few countries whose shipping companies have already tested or carried out freight transportation along this route.
Heading north from the port of Busan, the PanStar Acro will make stops in Felixstowe (United Kingdom), Rotterdam (Netherlands), and Gdańsk (Poland) before returning. The journey is expected to take between 40 and 45 days, the operator company PanStar said.
"Around September, when this voyage will mainly take place, the level of sea ice in the Arctic is at its lowest of the year, making navigation safer," a group representative said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
President Lee Jae-myung has made Arctic shipping a priority, and officials say this could help turn the southeastern port of Busan into a global maritime hub and make the Arctic a regular trade route by 2030.