Korean Container Ship Completes First Round Trip via Arctic Route... Panstar Acro Returns to Busan After 50 Days

[Financial News] Panstar Acro, the first South Korean container ship to embark on a trial voyage along the Arctic route, has safely returned to Busan after completing a 50-day voyage.
According to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries on the 11th, Panstar Acro arrived at Busan Port that morning. It was 50 days after the ship departed Busan Port on August 22.
When it departed, Panstar Acro set out on the Arctic route carrying 737 TEU of export cargo, including chemical products and used cars. After leaving Busan Port, it entered the Arctic Ocean on August 31 and passed through the Chukchi, East Siberian, Laptev, Kara and Barents seas. It called at Felixstowe, UK, on the 12th of last month, then arrived at its destination, Rotterdam, Netherlands, the following day. After calling at Gdansk, Poland, on the 18th of the same month, it crossed the Arctic Ocean again and returned to Busan.
Panstar Acro returned without any major incident, though it was six days behind its scheduled arrival date (the 5th). The voyage time is particularly notable. Traveling from Busan to Rotterdam via the Arctic route took about 22 days one way. The existing route through the Suez Canal takes 30 to 34 days one way. In other words, the Arctic route could cut travel time by around 10 days.
The voyage is also significant as the first time a South Korean container ship has made a round trip to Europe via the Arctic route. A South Korean vessel previously used the route in 2013 while transporting naphtha from Russia. There was another Arctic route voyage in 2016, but this is the first time a container ship—the backbone of maritime logistics—has crossed the Arctic Ocean to travel between Europe and Asia.
The Arctic route is attracting attention as a new maritime shipping lane as climate change reduces the extent of Arctic sea ice. It could shorten the distance compared with existing routes connecting Asia and Europe, potentially reducing logistics costs and shipping time.
The government plans to comprehensively analyze data related to the Arctic route’s economic viability, including the distance and route of Panstar Acro’s trial voyage, its duration and cost, and its fuel consumption. Based on this, the government aims to build up experience and data on Arctic route operations, launch a regular service route in 2030, and gradually increase the size of container ships to achieve economies of scale around 2035.
Meanwhile, President Lee Jae-myung said on social media, after Panstar Acro returned, “Building on this achievement, we will steadily prepare for the era of Arctic shipping,” adding, “We will help Busan and the southeastern region rise as a ‘Southern Maritime Capital Region’ and ensure that this new sea route leads to new growth for South Korea.”
[email protected] Seo Young-jun Reporter