(Central News Agency, Seoul, comprehensive foreign news report on the 20th) South Korea will sail a container ship to Europe on the 22nd to test the Arctic route to evaluate whether the route opened due to melting sea ice is commercially viable. However, since this voyage requires Russian assistance, it may also cause friction with Western allies.
Reuters reported that if the voyage is successfully completed, it will be South Korea's first commercial voyage to Europe through the Arctic route, making South Korea, China and Russia one of the few countries that have tested or operated cargo services on this route.
South Korea's PanStar Shipping Group (PanStar) pointed out that the PanStar Acro container ship will sail north from Busan Port, stopping at Felixstowe in the UK, Rotterdam in the Netherlands and Gdansk in Poland before returning. The whole journey is expected to take 40 to 45 days.
"This voyage will take place around September, when the Arctic sea ice is at its lowest level of the year, so it can be a relatively safe voyage," said a Pan-STAR Shipping Group official, who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung has made Arctic shipping a priority. South Korean officials said that this route will help build the southeastern port city of Busan into a global maritime hub and aim to develop the Arctic route into a fixed trade route by 2030.
However, Western diplomats are unhappy with the plan because South Korea must negotiate and obtain relevant permissions from Russia before the ship can complete the voyage.
"We want to isolate Russia, not engage with Russia," a European diplomat said. Citing Russia's invasion of Ukraine, he said the West had conveyed relevant concerns to South Korea.
Arctic shipping experts say South Korea could be at risk of violating sanctions if a South Korean container ship encounters problems during its voyage, such as becoming stuck in sea ice and requiring Russian assistance.
South Korea's Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not respond to requests for comment.
Global warming is causing Arctic sea ice to melt at an accelerated pace, making it more feasible to test the route known as the Northern Sea Route (NSR) this summer.
As the flow of ships on this route increases, the Norwegian tracking agency "Centre for High North Logistics" pointed out that a total of 88 ships sailed through the Northern Sea Route 103 times last year, up from 97 times in 2024 and 43 times in 2022, mainly from countries such as Russia and China.
South Korea's Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries stated that compared with the traditional Suez Canal route, the Arctic route can shorten the voyage by up to 35% and reduce fuel consumption.
Former naval officer Hyewon Choi (transliteration) pointed out in a study published in the journal Ocean Policy Research last year that the unit freight rate of the Arctic route has increased due to ship size restrictions, insurance costs, etc.
"We cannot use the Northern Sea Route all year round," she said. Container ships can only use this route during the three months of summer when the sea ice melts.
Panstar Shipping Group officials said that China has managed to seize the first-mover advantage on this route, so it is even more necessary for South Korea to take action as soon as possible.
