▲ The Panstar Acro awaiting departure at Busan Port last August
The Panstar Acro, which became the first South Korean container ship to embark on a test voyage along the Arctic route, successfully completed its journey and returned to Busan today (October 11).
The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries announced that the Panstar Acro arrived at Busan Port this morning.
This marks 50 days since its departure from Busan on August 22.
The Arctic route is a new maritime pathway created by the rapid reduction of Arctic sea ice due to climate change, serving as the shortest distance connecting Asia and Europe.
It has also drawn attention as an alternative shipping route following the war in Iran and the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
The route consists of the Northeast Passage, passing north of Russia from Europe to the Pacific, and the Northwest Passage, crossing north of North America to the Pacific. The Panstar Acro navigated the Northeast Passage this time.
Departing from Busan Port, the Panstar Acro entered the Arctic Ocean on August 31, passing through the Chukchi Sea, East Siberian Sea, Laptev Sea, Kara Sea, and Barents Sea. After calling at Felixstowe, UK, on September 12, it arrived at its destination port of Rotterdam, Netherlands, the following day.
Subsequently, after stopping at Gdynia, Poland, on September 18, it safely navigated back through the Arctic Ocean to return to Busan.
Although it arrived six days later than its original scheduled arrival date of October 5, the voyage is evaluated as a success, having been completed nearly on schedule without any major accidents.
The Panstar Acro, a 2,758 TEU-class container ship, departed carrying 837 TEU and performed unloading and loading operations at its ports of call.
There have been previous test voyages of South Korean vessels along the Arctic route.
Beginning in 2013 when a Hyundai Glovis ship loaded with naphtha from the Russian port of Ust-Luga arrived at Gwangyang Port, domestic vessels also operated along the Arctic route in 2016.
However, this is the first time a container ship—the core of maritime logistics—has completed a round-trip voyage along the Arctic route.
This test voyage is evaluated as having confirmed the potential of the Arctic route as a full-fledged commercial shipping lane.
The government plans to comprehensively analyze economic data regarding the Arctic route, such as the test voyage's distance, route, time, cost, and fuel consumption.
Starting with this, the government aims to accumulate operational experience and data on the Arctic route to open a regular service route by 2030, and gradually scale up container ships to achieve economies of scale around 2035.
With the success of this test voyage, the government's push to revitalize the Arctic route as a national task is expected to gain further momentum.
The revitalization of the Arctic route is also intertwined with the government's goal of establishing a southern maritime capital area centered around Busan.
The plan is to foster an economic zone comparable to the capital region by utilizing Busan, located at the gateway of the Arctic route, as a new growth engine.
Relocating the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries to Busan late last year, during the first year of the current administration's term, was the initial step toward this goal.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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