Seoul sends first commercial ship via Arctic to Europe

According to The Express Tribune, a South Korean container ship sails on Saturday on the country's first commercial run along the Arctic route to Europe. The voyage is designed to test whether the passage is workable, with Seoul hoping the trip will help turn the port of Busan into a global maritime hub.

The PanStar Acro will head north past Kamchatka, cross the Bering Sea and use the Northern Sea Route, calling at Felixstowe, Rotterdam and Gdansk before turning back. The journey should last between 40 and 45 days, and officials believe the Arctic could become a regular trade lane by 2030. Still, the plan carries a risk of friction with Western allies that want Russia kept isolated over its war in Ukraine, so Seoul has also consulted Moscow about the voyage.

Last year 88 vessels made 103 transits through the route, compared with 97 in 2024 and 43 in 2022, mostly from Russia and China, according to Norway's Centre for High North Logistics. The 2,758 TEU ship has 837 TEU of booked cargo, including auto parts, chemicals and roughly 100 empty containers. It is scheduled to leave around 1100 GMT, subject to loading and preparations.