South 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 authorized to speak to media.
President Lee Jae Myung has made Arctic shipping a priority, with officials saying it could help transform the southeastern port of Busan into a global maritime hub and position the Arctic as a regular trade route by 2030.
Western diplomats unhappy with plan
