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South Korea sends first container ship through Arctic route
BUSAN NEW PORT, South Korea – South Korea sent its first trial container ship through the Arctic on Aug 22, as the Middle East war rattles global shipping, while environmental groups warned the route could accelerate polar ice melt.
The Middle East conflict, sparked by US-Israeli strikes on Iran in February, has roiled global shipping, sending governments and shipping firms scrambling to seek alternative routes.
Sailing from Busan New Port, the PanStar Acro container ship is to sail to Europe via the Arctic, testing whether a route opened by melting sea ice can be commercially viable.
“We would like to inform you that the vessel for the Arctic route trial voyage departed” at 9.30pm (8.30pm, Singapore time), Seoul’s oceans ministry said in a statement sent to AFP.
The ship is headed for Felixstowe in Britain, Rotterdam in the Netherlands and Gdansk in Poland before returning, with the voyage expected to take about 45 days, according to the ministry.
The voyage follows that of the Chinese container ship Dubai Tower, which left the eastern port city of Ningbo for Europe earlier in August, heading north through the Bering Strait before turning west along Russia’s Arctic coast.
The usual maritime route between Asia and Europe runs through the Suez Canal, but travelling through the Arctic can cut the journey by around 7,000km and about 10 days, according to the Korea Institute for International Economic Policy.
https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/south-korea-sends-first-container-ship-through-arctic-route