A South Korean container ship set sail for Europe via the Arctic on Saturday evening, to test whether the route can be commercially viable.
The PanStar Acro left the south-eastern port city of Busan on Saturday evening and is expected to enter the Northern Sea Route around August 30 and pass through the Arctic waters around September 7, according to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries.
The ship is scheduled to call at ports in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Poland.
The voyage is expected to take about 45 days, which would be significantly faster than the traditional route to Europe via the Indian Ocean, the Red Sea and the Suez Canal.
Data on voyage duration, fuel consumption and operating costs will be collected. Seoul aims to establish the Arctic passage as a new trade route and develop Busan as an international logistics hub.
The global search for alternative trade routes has accelerated since the start of the Iran war and the significant restrictions on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
Environmental groups have warned the route could accelerate polar ice melt and disrupt fragile ecosystems.