South Korea plans first Arctic container ship voyage

South Korea plans to send its first container ship through the Arctic on a trial voyage this week, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said Thursday, testing whether a route opened by melting sea ice can be commercially viable.

A ministry spokesman said the Panstar Acro is expected to depart Busan on the evening of August 22, though the schedule could change depending on weather conditions, including typhoons. Busan-based PanStar Line Dot Com has been selected to operate the trial, according to the ministry.

The ship is due to sail to Felixstowe in Britain, Rotterdam in the Netherlands and Gdansk in Poland before returning, with the full voyage expected to take about 45 days.

The Northern Sea Route is accessible without icebreakers only during the part of the year when Arctic ice has melted enough. The Korea Institute for International Economic Policy says travelling through the Arctic can cut the Asia-Europe journey by about 7,000 kilometres and about 10 days compared with the usual Suez Canal route.

South Korea's vice oceans minister Nam Jae-hon said the Arctic route “is bound to become an alternative to Middle Eastern routes” and was becoming more attractive because of political risks elsewhere and improving technology.

The planned voyage follows the Chinese container ship Dubai Tower, which left Ningbo for Europe this month via the Bering Strait and Russia's Arctic coast. South Korea passed a special law in May aimed at promoting use of the Arctic shipping route and related industries.

Environmental groups warn that growing traffic along the Northern Sea Route could accelerate Arctic sea ice loss. Major carriers including CMA CGM, MSC and Hapag-Lloyd have pledged to avoid Arctic trans-shipment routes.