South Korea sending first container ship through Arctic route

The PanStar Acro, bound for Europe via the Arctic, is testing whether a route opened by melting sea ice can be commercially viable.Published On 22 Aug 202622 Aug 2026A South ‌Korean container ship is sailing to Europe via the Arctic, ⁠in the nation’s first commercial voyage on the route to test its viability as the war in the Middle East rattles global shipping.The PanStar Acro set sail from Busan New Port on Saturday. “We would like to inform you that the vessel for the Arctic route trial voyage departed” at 9:30pm (12:30 GMT), Seoul’s Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said in a statement to the AFP news agency.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4South Korea footballers urge safety after extreme heat statisticslist 2 of 4Putin warns of tit-for-tat seizures of European vesselslist 3 of 4Activists’ bid to sue Russia over climate change gets off to shaky startlist 4 of 4Can China’s new Arctic sea route to Europe replace Middle East chokepoints?end of listThe PanStar Acro will sail north, the Reuters news agency reported, hugging eastern Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula, then cross the Bering Sea, and ⁠take the Northern Sea Route, stopping in Felixstowe in the UK, Rotterdam in th...