Sailing from Busan New Port, the "PanStar Acro" container ship is to sail to Europe via the Arctic, testing whether a route opened by melting sea ice can be commercially viable.

The Northern Sea Route, chiefly used by Chinese and Russian vessels, could shorten voyages and save fuel, but requires Russian cooperation.

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 v