A South Korean container ship completed a voyage to Western Europe through the Arctic Ocean off the northern coast of Russia in October, fueling Seoul's hopes of exploiting the route as a shortcut for trade. The ship made the round trip from Busan to Rotterdam in just 50 days, saving at least 10 days compared to the fastest travel times along the more commonly used Suez Canal route. The Northern Sea Route (NSR) is not only around 7,000 kilometers (4,350 miles) shorter, it also avoids the geopolitical flashpoint of the Middle East.
But the faster delivery times might not exactly trigger celebrations across western European capitals. Analysts say the nations arrayed against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine fear that South Korean President Lee Jae-myung is looking to boost Seoul's economic relations with Moscow. This would run contrary to the efforts to cut off Russia made by Kyiv and its Western alies.
One of the reasons for South Korea testing the Arctic route is its undoubtedly large economic potential. But analysts told DW that Seoul also hopes that, by having a working relationship with the Russian regime, they could sway its leader Vladimir Putin against providing more weapons to North Korea. Lee's government, they suggest, will need to navigate the geopolitical waters extremely carefully.
The container vessel PanStar Acro left the South Korean port of Busan on August 22 and navigated around Russia to reach the southern UK port of Felixstowe, then continued its journey by sailing to Rotterdam in the Netherlands and Gdansk in Poland, before heading back along the NSR. For decades, the NSR was impassable due to the North Pole ice cover. With the ice in retreat due to climate change, navigation is becoming possible, although commercial ships often need to be accompanied by an ice-breaker vessel at certain times of year.
According to the Arctic Council, an international body which includes the US, Russia, Canada, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Iceland, last year saw a record 1,812 vessels operating in the Arctic. That marks an increase of 40% compared to 2013. The NSR "presents significant economic potential" for South Korea by linking it more closely to the key markets of Europe while bypassing the challenging waters of the northwest Indian Ocean, said Joseph Kristanto, a maritime security analyst at Singapore's S.
Rajaratnam School of International Studies. "In addition to potentially lowering shipping costs and transit times, the route's development could strengthen Busan's position as a regional maritime hub and create opportunities for South Korea's shipbuilding sector," he told DW. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video The Lee government has outlined plans for regular commercial services on the NSR by 2030, with the first Korean ship to complete the voyage merely a test of the logistics.
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