WORLD
Container ship rerouting through Arctic
The Arctic route ‘is bound to become an alternative to Middle Eastern routes.’
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — South Korea plans its first trial voyage through the Arctic this week as Middle East conflict disrupts global shipping, Seoul’s oceans ministry said Thursday, while environmental groups warn the route could accelerate melting of polar ice.
Global shipping has been heavily disrupted by war in the Middle East, sparked by United States-Israeli strikes on Iran in late February —prompting shipping companies and governments to explore alternative routes.
The voyage follows that of the Chinese container ship Dubai Tower, which left the eastern port city of Ningbo for Europe this month, heading north through the Bering Strait before turning west along Russia’s Arctic coast.
The Northern Sea Route is only accessible during the time of the year when the ice is melted enough to allow transits without icebreakers.
“South Korea’s trial voyage is currently expected to depart on the evening of August 22, though the schedule time could change depending on weather conditions, including typhoons,” a spokesperson for the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries told Agence France-Presse.
The container ship will sail to Europe via the Arctic, testing whether a route opened by melting sea ice can be commercially viable.
The Arctic route “is bound to become an alternative to Middle Eastern routes,” South Korea’s vice oceans minister Nam Jae-hon said recently.