Asia/Pacific News
Two South Korean Shipping Lines Slated to Ply Northern Sea Route Until September
South Korea's Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries has announced that Pan Ocean Co., Ltd. (Pan Ocean) and Kukbo Transportation Co., Ltd. (Kukbo Transportation) will be shipping plant facilities to Russia and Kazakhstan by way of the Arctic's Northern Sea Route (NSR), IHS Fairplay reports.
"We will prepare for the coming era of the Northern Sea Route by training manpower to specialise in Arctic shipping, offering incentives to shipping lines, and strengthening co-operation with states along the route," said Park Kyung-jae, director of shipping and logistics at the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries.
The two companies are said to be slated to use the route from July to September, among the first Asian companies, after CJ Korea Express and China COSCO Shipping Corporation Limited (China COSCO Shipping), to use the NSR this year.
Kukbo Transportation is said to be using a heavy-lift carrier to ship its 1,100 tonne cargo from Ulsan, South Korea, to Pavlodar, Kazakhstan, and is aiming to arrive by September 21, with plans to charter the general cargo ship Happy Dover from BigLift Shipping.
Pan Ocean's multipurpose vessel Sun Shine was expected to set sail on Monday on its voyage, transporting 2,300 tonnes of a liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant to Sabetta port in Russia's Yamal Peninsula, via the Bering Sea - a trip expected to be completed by mid-September.
Earlier this week Ship & Bunker reported that Weathernews Inc. (Weathernews) has opened a new subsidiary in Moscow to support "more cost effective voyages" across the NSR.
