The Northern Sea Route, chiefly used by Chinese and Russian vessels, could shorten voyages and save fuel, but requires Russian cooperation
3-MIN READ3-MINReutersPublished: 6:33am, 20 Aug 2026South Korea will flag off on Saturday a container ship bound for Europe via the Arctic, testing whether a route opened by melting sea ice can be commercially viable, but risking friction with Western allies, as the voyage requires Russian cooperation.If successful, the trip would be South Korea’s first such commercial voyage to Europe via the Arctic, placing it with China and Russia among the few countries whose shipping firms have tested or run cargo services along the route.
Sailing north from the port of Busan, the PanStar Acro will make stops at Felixstowe in Britain, Rotterdam in the Netherlands and Poland’s Gdansk before returning in a journey expected to take 40 to 45 days, its operator PanStar said.
“Around September, when this voyage will mainly take place, Arctic sea ice is at its lowest level of the year, making safer navigation possible,” an official of the group said on condition of anonymity, as he was not authorised to speak to media.
