South Korea's 2,758 TEU Container Ship Completes 50-Day Round-Trip Trial Voyage on Arctic Route

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On October 11, the container ship "PanStar Acro" operated by South Korean shipping company PanStar Line returned to the Port of Busan, completing South Korea's first round-trip trial voyage to Europe via the Northern Sea Route by a container ship. The vessel departed from Busan New Port on August 22 and completed the round trip between Asia and Europe in 50 days. With a container capacity of 2,758 TEU, it carried 737 TEU of export cargo on the outbound voyage, including chemical products, used cars, and auto parts.

The vessel entered Arctic waters on August 31, sailing along Russia's northern coast and transiting successively through the Chukchi Sea, the East Siberian Sea, the Laptev Sea, the Kara Sea, and the Barents Sea. The ship then arrived at the Port of Felixstowe in the United Kingdom on September 12, the Port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands on September 13, and called at the Port of Gdańsk in Poland on September 18.

"PanStar Acro" began its return voyage on September 19, transiting Arctic waters again, and finally berthed at the Jaseongdae Terminal of the Port of Busan at approximately 8:24 a.m. on October 11. No additional ports of call were made on the return voyage. According to a plan previously announced by South Korea's Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, the vessel had been scheduled to return to Busan on October 5, and its actual arrival was delayed by 6 days compared with the original plan.

The export cargo carried on the outbound voyage consisted mainly of chemical products, used vehicles, and auto parts. The South Korean government had previously planned to load approximately 1,300 TEU on the outbound voyage, but the actual export cargo totaled 737 TEU. According to data from the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries obtained by a South Korean National Assembly member's office on October 11, the return voyage carried a total of 1,743 TEU of empty containers and did not secure the originally planned import cargo.

The trial voyage was led by South Korea's Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, with the Korea Ocean Business Corporation and the Korea Shipowners' Association participating jointly, while PanStar Line was responsible for vessel operations. The South Korean government plans to analyze the voyage distance, transit time, fuel consumption, and operating costs based on actual voyage records, and to study follow-up operational arrangements for the Arctic route.

South Korean vessels have previously transited Arctic waters, but this was the first time a South Korean container ship completed a round-trip transport service connecting Europe via the Northern Sea Route. The South Korean government plans to study the establishment of regular commercial services on the Arctic route by 2030.