Time-definite ocean delivery? Container ship completes new Arctic route trial

A South Korean container ship has completed that country’s first commercial round-trip to Europe through the Arctic , demonstrating a potentially faster alternative to the Suez Canal while leaving unresolved questions about costs, reliability and geopolitical risk. The PanStar Acro returned to Busan on Oct. 11, completing a 50-day voyage that began Aug. 22. It sailed along Russia’s Arctic coast to Felixstowe in the United Kingdom, then called at Rotterdam and Gdansk before returning through the northern passage, Reuters reported.