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South Korea to test Arctic route for container ship to Europe
The PanStar Acro will sail from Busan with expected travel time of 40 to 45 days and port calls including Britain, the Netherlands, and Poland.
South Korea will launch a container ship voyage to Europe via the Arctic starting Saturday, testing whether a trade route opened by melting sea ice can work commercially, while potentially straining relations with Western allies, according to SCMP Economy and Reuters.
The trip will require Russian cooperation, and if it succeeds it would mark South Korea’s first commercial voyage to Europe using the Arctic route.
The operator, PanStar, said the vessel PanStar Acro will depart from Busan and make stops at Felixstowe in Britain, Rotterdam in the Netherlands, and Gdansk in Poland before returning, with a journey expected to take 40 to 45 days.
A company official said the voyage is scheduled around September when Arctic sea ice typically reaches its lowest level of the year, a factor they cited as improving navigation conditions.