Chemical supply chains are facing disruptions and longer transport routes, making passage diversification increasingly important for preserving reliable connections between Asia and Europe.

To evaluate a potential adjustment, Swiss bulk logistics provider Bertschi recently placed its ISO tank containers on the PanStar Acro, an ice-class vessel certified for operation in polar waters that departed Busan on the PanStar Line’s first South Korean container trial voyage through the Northern Sea Route.

Participants dubbed the Aug. 22 voyage “a new era in maritime logistics.”

“Resilient supply chains depend on understanding alternative transport corridors before they are urgently needed,” Bertschi Group CEO Jan Arnet said in a news release. “Our participation in this trial allows us to build operational knowledge at an early stage. Any future use of the route would be evaluated carefully against safety, compliance, reliability, environmental performance, and customer requirements.”

Bertschi’s tank containers were bound for Gdansk, Poland, the company reported.

The PanStar Acro’s updated European rotation includes Felixstowe, Rotterdam, and Gdansk. Under the current schedule, the vessel is due to reach Rotterdam on Sept. 10 and Gdansk on Sept. 16.

The pilot travels via the Bering Sea through Arctic waters on Russia’s Northern Sea Route and is intended to test a seasonal maritime connection between Northeast Asia and Northern Europe. Under PanStar’s current schedule, the Busan-Rotterdam leg is planned at 19 days, offering a much shorter transit than the Asia-Europe routings currently operating around the Cape of Good Hope in about 40 days, or through the Suez Canal in about 30 days.

For Bertschi, the shipment is an exploratory step. The company will use the voyage to gather practical experience and assess the route's implications for ISO tank logistics, including schedule reliability, equipment condition and handling, regulatory requirements, and overall operational viability.

“Since establishing our Seoul subsidiary in 2024, we have focused on connecting Korean chemical producers with Bertschi's global ISO tank network,” said Justin Kim, general manager of Bertschi Global Korea. “Participating in this first sailing is a concrete extension of that work and gives our team direct experience with an additional route to Europe.”