UPA Teams Up with Global Shipping Entity to Explore Arctic Shipping Routes

President Byeon Jae-young of Ulsan Port Authority (UPA) signs a tripartite MOU with Royal Wagenborg and Korea Overseas Business Corp. to invigorate arctic shipping routes at BPA president’s office on Aug. 4.

Ulsan Port Authority (UPA) said on Aug. 20 that it signed a tripartite MOU with Royal Wagenborg and Korea Overseas Business Corp. (KOBC) to invigorate arctic shipping routes.

Royal Wagenborg is a Dutch shipping company with a track record of 48 commercial cargo transits on the Northwest Passage (NWP) as of 2025, the world’s best achievement.

The agreement has been arranged in accordance with the government’s national task of making Korea a powerhouse for spearheading an era of Arctic shipping routes, changing Ulsan Port a hub for commercializing the Arctic routes and diversifying Korean-North American sea logistics network.

Under the agreement, the three entities plan to promote cooperation in six areas - expanding Ulsan Port calls by Arctic shipping route vessels and eco-friendly fuel supply, exchanging information and experiences related to the Arctic shipping transits, supporting the writing of manuals for Arctic shipping transit and the accumulating of experiences, exploring potential Korea-Eastern North America cargo demand and Arctic shipping route transit possibility, and cooperate in efforts to secure ice-resistant ships for Arctic shipping transits.

In accordance with the deal, a maximum of four Arctic shipping route transit vessels are expected to make a call at Ulsan Port, be supplied with fuels and have their cargoes unloaded this year.

The signatory institutions will produce manuals with the related knowhow and share them to ramp up Korean shipping companies and ports’ Arctic shipping route transit capabilities while KOBC will publish a white paper on the Arctic shipping routes.

UPA President Byeon Jae-young said, “The agreement will be a practical foundation to implement the government’s policies on the Arctic shipping routes, and combining Ulsan Port’s infrastructure facilities and the signatory entities’ expertise will contribute to raising the Korean shipping industry’s Arctic shipping transit capabilities and Korean ports’ competitiveness.”

Meanwhile, Ulsan Port is a port with a track record of Arctic shipping route transit port calls on 18 occasions - five times on the Northeast Passage and 13 occasions on the Northwest Passage, Korea’s biggest number in Korea for the recent 10-year period.

Ulsan Port is the nation’s No. 1 energy and Arctic shipping route port handling 1.6 tons of liquid cargoes annually.

Ulsan Port Authority has successfully supplied liquefied natural gas for commercial use to a petrochemical product carrier on Aug. 8 for the first time in Korea. (Photos: BPA)

Ulsan Port, Petrochemical Ship Refueled with LNG for Commercial Use for 1st Time in Korea

Ulsan Port Authority said that liquified natural gas for commercial use was successfully supplied to a petrochemical carrier for the first time in Korea at the northern transshipment wharf of Ulsan New Port on Aug. 8.

The Atlantic Topaz, a petrochemical good carrier operated by Eastern Pacific Shipping unleaded petrochemical products at Daesan Port on Aug. 4 and made a port call at Ulsan Port for fuel supply on Aug. 8.

The Blue Whale, an LNG refueling supply line, was responsible for the refueling.

The ship supplied about 850 tons of LNG to the Atlantic Topaz in a ship-to-ship format for about 10 hours from 1 p.m. on Aug. 8.

The refueling represents a case in which the scope has been expanded to petrochemical product carriers, thus enabling Ulsan Port to ramp up its competitiveness of supplying eco-friendly ship fuels.

Starting with CMA CGM Daytona, a car carrier, last February, Ulsan Port successfully refueled LNG as a ship fuel on five occasions until now.

Ulsan Port is the nation’s largest liquid cargo handling port, with liquefied natural gas storage and supply facilities.

The latest accomplishment is expected to expand the LNG ship fuel market and upgrade Ulsan Port’s eco-friendly fuel supply competitive edge.

Ulsan Port is poised to build up its standing as a global eco-friendly ship fuel supply hub port.

UPA President Byeon Jae-young said, “The case is a meaningful feast of proving Ulsan Port’s eco-friendly ship fuel supply capability and safety again, and we will do our utmost to establish Ulsan port as a global eco-friendly ship fuel port center.”