South Korea’s first container ship to complete an Arctic-route round trip ... Panstar Acro returns to Busan after 50 days

[Financial News] The Panstar Acro, the first South Korean container ship to undertake a trial voyage on the Arctic route, returned safely to Busan on the morning of the 11th. It was 50 days after the ship departed Busan Port’s New Port on Aug. 22.
The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said the Panstar Acro arrived at Busan Port that morning.
After departing New Port at Busan Port on Aug. 22, the Panstar Acro entered the Arctic Ocean on the 31st of the same month and reached Felixstowe in the United Kingdom, its first port of call in Europe, on the 12th of last month, after passing through the Chukchi Sea, East Siberian Sea, Laptev Sea, Kara Sea and Barents Sea. It then called at Rotterdam in the Netherlands and Gdansk in Poland before crossing the Arctic Ocean again on the 2nd and returning to Busan that day.
The Arctic route is a new sea lane that has emerged as climate change rapidly reduces the area of Arctic sea ice. It is the shortest route connecting Asia and Europe, and has also drawn attention as an alternative route amid the Iran war and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
The Panstar Acro, which made a round trip between Busan and Rotterdam via the Arctic route, demonstrated shorter sailing times: 22 days one way and 50 days round trip. Compared with the 30 to 34 days it takes to travel one way along the same route via the Suez Canal, this represents a time saving of around 10 days each way.
The government plans to conduct a comprehensive analysis of data on the Arctic route’s economic viability, including the distance and route, duration, costs and fuel consumption of the Panstar Acro’s trial voyage. Building on this, it plans to accumulate operating experience and data, launch a regular service route in 2030, and gradually scale up its container ships to achieve economies of scale around 2035.
The government plans to hold an event at Busan Port on the 13th to welcome the Panstar Acro’s return.
[email protected] Kwon Byeong-seok Reporter