The 2,758-TEU PanStar Acro, operated by Busan-based PanStar Line Dot Com, will leave Busan New Port and head toward Europe through Arctic waters north of Russia. The vessel was purchased from HMM, where it previously operated as HMM Mombasa.
The ship is scheduled to enter the Northern Sea Route around Aug. 30 and pass through the Arctic region in early September. It will call at Felixstowe in Britain on Sept. 9, Rotterdam in the Netherlands on Sept. 11 and Gdansk in Poland on Sept. 15 before returning to Busan around Oct. 5. The round trip is expected to take about 45 days.
The vessel is carrying 737 TEUs of cargo, including chemical products, used vehicles and auto parts. Including empty containers, the total load amounts to 837 TEUs.
The Northern Sea Route cuts the sailing distance between Busan and Rotterdam to about 13,000 kilometers, roughly 35 percent shorter than the approximately 20,000-kilometer route through the Suez Canal. The government plans to use data from the trial to assess sailing time, fuel consumption, operating costs and the commercial viability of the route, with the aim of launching regular services by 2030.
The voyage comes after months of uncertainty over sanctions and insurance. Because much of the route passes through waters administered by Russia, concerns had been raised over whether payments for Russian navigation and other services could conflict with Western sanctions.
The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said consultations with relevant countries have been completed and the related risks resolved, while the vessel is not expected to receive a Russian icebreaker escort.
PanStar emerged as the sole applicant for the government-backed trial after larger Korean shipping companies stayed away amid commercial, sanctions and environmental concerns.
A PanStar source previously told AJP that the company ultimately agreed to undertake the project after being approached by the Korea Shipowners' Association.
The government sees the voyage as a test of whether Busan can eventually serve as a major Asian gateway for Arctic shipping, although questions remain over seasonal ice conditions, costs and geopolitical risks surrounding the route.
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