South Korea Sends First Test Container Ship Via Arctic Route

Seoul. Amidst the Middle East conflict causing global fuel supply problems, South Korea sent its first test container ship from the Arctic on Saturday. The Middle East conflict, which began in February with US-Israeli attacks on Iran, has affected global shipping, prompting governments and shipping companies to rush to find alternative routes. Environmental groups have warned that this route could accelerate the melting of polar ice. The container ship 'Panstar Acro', which departed from Busan New Port, is heading to Europe via the Arctic, which will test whether the route opened by melting sea ice is commercially viable. "We want to inform you that the 'ship for the Arctic route test journey' departed at 9:30 PM on Saturday," the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries in Seoul said in a statement provided to the media. According to the ministry, the ship will return after visiting Felixstowe in the UK, Rotterdam in the Netherlands, and Gdansk in Poland, with the journey expected to take about 45 days. This journey follows that of the Chinese container ship 'Dubai Tower', which departed from the eastern port city of Ningbo for Europe this month and headed north through the Bering Strait before turning west along Russia's Arctic coast. According to the Korea Institute for International Economic Policy, the normal sea route between Asia and Europe goes through the Suez Canal, but traveling through the Arctic can shorten the distance by about seven thousand kilometers and about 10 days. South Korea's Deputy Minister for Oceans, Nam Jae-heon, said, "The Arctic route is 'bound to become an alternative' to Middle East shipping routes as geopolitical risks and technological advancements are making it increasingly competitive." Mark Lanteigne, a professor of political science at the Arctic University of Norway, said, "This journey comes shortly after China's 'Dubai Tower' began its Arctic journey, showing that the Northern Sea Route (NSR) is becoming normalized as an 'alternative maritime transport corridor'." He said, "If the journey is successful, South Korea will achieve success in 'developing alternative shipping sea routes'. There is a concern that South Korea may fall behind as Chinese companies expand regular services from the increasingly viable Arctic route." Some experts have warned that South Korean ships using the Arctic route may risk violating Western sanctions on Russia. Currently, North Korea's main security ally will take Russian navigation and weather services. This requires normal service fee payments. South Korea's Foreign Ministry declined to comment when asked by AFP about concerns related to Russia. The Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries said earlier this week, "Consultations with the main relevant countries and agencies have been completed to implement the 'necessary administrative procedures for the journey'." Vladimir Tikhonov, a professor of Korean Studies at the University of Oslo, said, "Strictly speaking, American and European Union sanctions are not international law like United Nations sanctions." "With continued uncertainty in the Middle East, if the Arctic route proves economically viable, South Korea may have few options," he told AFP. Lanteigne said, "China's Northern Sea Route ambition is more politically motivated than South Korea's, as Beijing views the Arctic region as a 'strategic new frontier', raising security concerns for the West." Meanwhile, environmental groups have warned that increased traffic on the short NSR could accelerate the damage to Arctic sea ice already occurring due to global warming. Major carriers such as CMA CGM, MSC, and Hapag-Lloyd have committed to avoiding Arctic shipping routes. The NSR is considered accessible only at certain times of the year when the ice has melted enough to allow passage without an icebreaker. "The Northern Sea Route is becoming increasingly viable as the Arctic is warming about four times faster than the global average, leading to a rapid decline in sea ice," the South Korean environmental group Parang Ocean Citizen Science Center said in a statement last year. The statement said, "Further warming will be necessary to make the route commercially viable, which makes this policy conflict with efforts against climate change."