The 15,500-kilometer journey from Rotterdam to the port of Gwangyang in the south of Korea will take 35 days, of which a 4,200-kilometer section will be on the Arctic Sea. The ship sailing the northern route is expected to save 6,700 kilometers, or 10 days, compared with the 40-day, 22,000-kilometer trip through the Indian Ocean and Suez Canal.

 

A company official said, "Up until now, the pathway has been used by a few European and Russian shippers. Once the new trial proves successful, we will be able to reap huge benefits from this." The route is open each year for about four warm months until October. Within three to five years from now, the Arctic Ocean could be ice-free in the summer, according to a White House estimate.