South Korea Launches Arctic Expedition With Focus on Safety of Navigation
In the last two years, South Korea has made a big bet on Arctic shipping, rolling out massive investments in its port sector for future Arctic logistics. The recent move in this planning phase is launch of a research campaign, which will see South Korean scientists collect additional data to support safe navigation in the Arctic. This will be the focus of South Korea’s 17th Arctic Ocean expedition, flagged off on Saturday at Gwangyang Port in South Jeolla.
The 83-day Arctic expedition - led by the Korea Polar Research Institute (KOPRI) - will be carried out on board the country’s only research icebreaker, R/V Araon. The vessel is expected to sail through the Bering Sea, the East Siberian Sea, the Chukchi Sea and the central Arctic Ocean.
The expedition represents the first field visit of the SAFE-SEA project, a joint Arctic study by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and KOPRI. Launched early this year, Project SAFE-SEA seeks to develop high-resolution datasets to refine prediction tools that track Arctic ice changes. The datasets will help produce monthly and annual navigation scenarios for the Northern Sea Route (NSR), with the aim of supporting safer and more reliable vessel operations in the region. The project researchers added that the high-resolution data will help develop a more detailed assessment of climate risks in polar regions.
Korea is hoping to establish a regular shipping route connecting the country with Europe via the Arctic by 2030. Later this year, the government has planned a pilot containership voyage through the Russian-administered Northern Sea Route. The trial voyage will start from Busan to Rotterdam in Netherlands, reportedly involving a vessel operated by PanStar Line.
that matters most
Get the latest maritime news delivered to your inbox daily.
KOPRI hopes that the field data collected during this expedition will facilitate planning of these scheduled Arctic voyages.
“We expect the field data acquired by Araon to become a solid foundation for enhancing South Korea’s Arctic science capabilities and the practical value of their use,” said Shin Hyung-chul, President of KOPRI. “This is a meaningful expedition that prepares for the era of Arctic shipping.”
