Pan Star Acro Departs Busan New Port on the 22nd... 45-Day Voyage to Europe via Arctic Route

The Korean container ship 'Pan Star Acro' departed from Busan New Port on the 22nd for a trial voyage to Europe via the Arctic route. According to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries on the 22nd, the Acro is a 2,758 TEU (one TEU equals one 20-foot container) container ship operated by Pan Star Line Dot Com, scheduled for a trial run lasting approximately 45 days. It is set to enter the Northern Sea Route around the 30th, transit Arctic waters around the 7th of next month, and subsequently call at Felixstowe in the UK, Rotterdam in the Netherlands, and Gdansk in Poland before returning to Busan New Port around October 5.

The one-way distance via the Northern Sea Route from Busan to Rotterdam is approximately 13,000 km, which is about 7,000 km shorter than the conventional route via the Suez Canal (approx. 20,000 km). The Ministry expects the voyage time will also be reduced by about 10 days.

A total of 837 TEU is loaded for this trial voyage, including 737 TEU of export cargo such as chemical products, used cars, and auto parts, along with 100 TEU of empty containers. The captain and navigators on board have completed specialized training for polar navigation, and a navigator from the icebreaker Araon is serving as the first mate.

The Ministry plans to analyze the economic feasibility by comparing data on sailing distance, time, fuel consumption, and costs gathered during this voyage with existing routes. It will also examine safety measures and necessary support policies for regular route operations.

The Arctic route passes along the Russian coast, and the Ministry explained that it has completed consultations with key relevant countries regarding sanctions on Russia. The ship will not be escorted by Russian icebreakers during this voyage. The government aims to commence commercial operations on the Arctic route by 2030 through this trial voyage.