President Lee Jae-myung congratulated the crew of the Panstar Acro, the first South Korean container ship to embark on a test voyage along the Arctic route, upon its arrival in the United Kingdom.
On September 12, President Lee expressed his gratitude on X (formerly Twitter), stating, "I extend my congratulations and thanks to Captain Seong-myeon and the crew for opening the historic first path along the Arctic route. I hope for the safe return of the Panstar Acro and the successful development of the Arctic route."
He also shared a post from Busan Mayor Jeon Jae-soo, encouraging the citizens of Busan, saying, "I support the dream of Busan as a maritime capital and the full-scale development of the Arctic route."
President Lee emphasized, "As promised, I will accelerate efforts and support to advance the era of the Arctic route and the maritime capital of Busan."
The Panstar Acro departed from Busan on August 22, entered the Arctic Ocean on August 31, and exited that section on September 9. It arrived at its first port of call, Felixstowe in the UK, around 5 a.m. on September 12, 21 days after its departure.
The Panstar Acro is scheduled to return to Busan via the Arctic route after visiting major European ports.
The government plans to review the commercial viability of the Arctic route connecting Asia and Europe based on the navigation experience and data gathered during this test voyage, and will pursue the development of related infrastructure.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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