S. Korean container ship to test Arctic route despite Russia sanctions concerns

Seoul – South Korea will flag off on Saturday a container ship bound for Europe via the Arctic, testing whether a route opened by melting sea ice can be commercially viable — but risking friction with Western allies, as the voyage requires Russian cooperation.

If successful, the trip would be South Korea’s first such commercial voyage to Europe via the Arctic, placing it with China and Russia among the few countries whose shipping firms have tested or run cargo services along the route. 

Sailing north from the port of Busan, the PanStar Acro will make stops at Felixstowe in the U.K., Rotterdam in the Netherlands and Poland’s Gdansk before returning, in a journey expected to take 40 to 45 days, its operator PanStar said.