South Korea to send its first container ship through Arctic

Global shipping has faced major disruptions after the war in the Middle East.

Key points

• Before China's "Dubai Tower, " Danish shipping firm Maersk was among the first major container carriers to test the route in 2018.
• The ship will leave Busan and travel to Felixstowe in Britain, Rotterdam in the Netherlands and Gdansk in Poland before returning to South Korea.
• South Korea's Vice Oceans Minister Nam Jae-hon lately stated the Arctic route is projected to become an alternative to shipping routes affected by conflicts in the Middle East.
• The trial follows the journey of the Chinese container ship "Dubai Tower, " which left the eastern Chinese port city of Ningbo for Europe this month.
• A spokesman for South Korea's Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries remarked the trial voyage is at present projected to commence on the evening of Aug.

Global shipping has faced major disruptions after the war in the Middle East. It began after U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran in late February. The situation has pushed shipping firms and governments to look for alternative routes.

Notably, the trial follows the journey of the Chinese container ship "Dubai Tower, " which left the eastern Chinese port city of Ningbo for Europe this month. The ship traveled north through the Bering Strait before heading west along Russia's Arctic coast.

Meanwhile, the Northern Sea Route is only accessible during the part of the year when sea ice melts enough to allow ships to pass without icebreakers.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for South Korea's Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries remarked the trial voyage is at present projected to commence on the evening of Aug. Although the schedule could change depending on weather conditions, including typhoons, 22.

Meanwhile, the container ship will travel to Europe through the Arctic to test whether the route. It has become accessible since of melting sea ice, could be commercially viable.

Busan-based PanStar Line Dot Com has been selected to operate the trial using the container ship Panstar Acro, according to the ministry.

In practice, the ship will leave Busan and travel to Felixstowe in Britain, Rotterdam in the Netherlands and Gdansk in Poland before returning to South Korea. The full journey is projected to take concerning 45 days, the ministry spokesman noted.

Meanwhile, the usual maritime route between Asia and Europe passes through the Suez Canal. Nevertheless, the Arctic route could shorten the journey by concerning 7, 000 kilometers and around 10 days, according to the Korea Institute for International Economic Policy.

Nam remarked the Arctic route is becoming more attractive not only as of political risks along other routes but additionally as technological advances are improving its cost competitiveness.

South Korea has already taken steps to prepare for greater employ of the Arctic route. A special law aimed at promoting Arctic shipping and related industries was passed in May.

Environmental groups have cautioned that climbed traffic along the shorter Northern Sea Route could contribute to further Arctic sea ice loss. It has already been worsened by global warming.

Major shipping firms, including France-based CMA CGM, Switzerland-headquartered MSC and Germany-based Hapag-Lloyd, have pledged to avoid shipping routes through the Arctic.

In short, south Korea to send its first container ship through Arctic is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.