South Korean container ship arrives in the UK via Arctic route
The South Korean container ship Panstar Acro has arrived at the port of Felixstowe in the United Kingdom, covering half of its voyage via the Arctic sea route. The vessel entered the British port at around 5:00, 21 days after departing Busan on August 22.
As Korea Herald reports, Panstar Acro became the first South Korean container vessel to travel via the Arctic route. The purpose of the voyage is to assess the potential of the sea route connecting the eastern and western parts of Eurasia.
Cargo and further route
The mid-sized container ship, with a capacity of 2,758 TEU, is carrying chemical products, used cars and auto parts to Europe. In Felixstowe, the vessel is expected to unload part of its cargo.
More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.
After the British port, Panstar Acro is due to call at Rotterdam in the Netherlands on Sunday and then at Gdansk in Poland on Wednesday. The vessel will make its return journey to Busan via the same route. It is expected to arrive in South Korea around October 12.
Prospects for the Arctic route
South Korea is exploring the Arctic direction as a shorter route to Europe that could reduce dependence on the current route through the Indian Ocean. At present, the sea route from Korea to Rotterdam is about 22,000 kilometres, while the Arctic route could, by estimate, reduce the distance by around 32%.
At the same time, commercial use of the northern route is complicated by thick sea ice and a harsh climate. This creates risks for vessels and may increase the costs of maintaining a safe temperature for cargo. South Korea’s Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries is collecting data to assess the possibility of regular navigation in the coming years amid a reduction in Arctic ice coverage.
