by Theleaders | August 22, 2026 1:00 pm
BUSAN NEW PORT, Aug 22 — South Korea is set to send its first trial container ship through the Arctic on Saturday, testing a shorter route to Europe as geopolitical tensions disrupt global shipping.
The PanStar Acro will sail from Busan New Port to Felixstowe in Britain, Rotterdam in the Netherlands and Gdansk in Poland before returning, with the voyage expected to take about 45 days.
“The ship will depart at 8 pm (1100 GMT) today unless there are unforeseen circumstances, such as bad weather,” an oceans ministry official told AFP.
The voyage comes as the Middle East conflict has disrupted shipping, prompting governments and companies to explore alternatives to the traditional route through the Suez Canal.
The Arctic route can cut the journey between Asia and Europe by about 7,000 kilometres (4,300 miles) and 10 days, according to the Korea Institute for International Economic Policy.
South Korea’s Vice Oceans Minister Nam Jae-hon said the route was “bound to become an alternative” to Middle Eastern shipping lanes as geopolitical risks and technological advances make it more competitive.
The voyage follows that of the Chinese container ship Dubai Tower, which left Ningbo for Europe this month via the Bering Strait and Russia’s Arctic coast.
Marc Lanteigne, a political science professor at the Arctic University of Norway, said the voyages showed the Northern Sea Route (NSR) was becoming normalised as a “secondary maritime transit corridor”.
But the route raises concerns over possible breaches of Western sanctions on Russia, as ships using it would rely on Russian navigation and weather services.
South Korea’s foreign ministry declined to comment on the issue, while the oceans ministry said consultations with relevant countries and agencies had been completed.
Environmental groups also warned that increased shipping through the Arctic could worsen sea ice loss caused by global warming.
Major carriers including CMA CGM, MSC and Hapag-Lloyd have pledged to avoid Arctic shipping routes, which are currently accessible only during periods when ice conditions permit passage without icebreakers.
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