The Panstar Acro, the first South Korean container ship to sail Russia’s Northern Sea Route, returned to Busan on Oct. 11 after a 50-day round trip to Europe. The 2,758-TEU vessel left Busan on Aug. 22 and called at Felixstowe, Rotterdam and Gdansk, Poland, on its way home.
The one-way trip between Busan and Rotterdam took 22 days, compared with 30 to 34 days through the Suez Canal, according to South Korea’s Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries.
The ship returned with 1,743 empty containers and no import cargo, Korean outlet Aju Press reported. On the outbound leg, it carried 737 TEU of loaded cargo, including chemicals, used cars and auto parts, against a target of 1,300 TEU, per gCaptain. Officials attributed the shortfall to the limited time available to market the voyage.
The South Korean government and the Korea Shipowners’ Association backed the trial. The association offered more than $2 million for completing the one-way voyage, with a further $700,000 tied to carrying more than 2,000 TEU on the round trip. It remains unclear whether empty containers count toward that threshold.
The ministry will assess the voyage’s distance, transit time, operating costs and fuel consumption before a second trial in 2027. South Korea aims to launch a regular service by 2030. Officials expect the route to become economically viable between 2035 and 2040.
