AIoT technology from South Korean firm Willog could open up a cargo shipping route through the Arctic.

The supply chain monitoring devices are being tested on a pilot journey that left Busan in August and is this month calling at Rotterdam, Hamburg and Gdansk before returning to Busan next month.

The IoT devices provide data on temperature, shock, humidity and more in real time.

This is Panstar’s first commercial voyage on the Arctic route. The company aims to establish a data-driven cargo quality assurance system starting from the inaugural commercial voyage by recording in real time data on temperature, humidity, impact and tilt to track the environmental changes cargo experiences in the Arctic, where glacier risks and rapid environmental shifts coexist.

In particular, with the government designating the commercialisation of the Arctic shipping route as a priority, Willog’s monitoring marks the first step taken by the private sector. Collecting and verifying cargo quality data in real time across the entire commercial voyage is expected to contribute to the government’s goal of commercialisation at the private level, as it lays the data foundation necessary for the Arctic route to be a practical alternative in actual supply chains.

The shipping route connects Asia and Europe and can shorten transit times by more than 30% by reducing the sailing distance by approximately 7000km compared with existing routes via the Suez Canal and the Cape of Good Hope.

However, there are dangers regarding cargo quality management, such as the risk of collision with icebergs, rapid temperature fluctuations and the lack of communication infrastructure. In particular, for temperature-sensitive cargo or precision parts, the collection of real-time environmental data throughout the entire transportation process is essential.

Willog attached its IoT sensor devices to the cargo of Panstar’s (www.panstar.co.kr) first commercial vessel operating on the Arctic route. It continuously monitors cargo safety by collecting multidimensional environmental data in real time from departure to return. In particular, it records the impact on the cargo caused by changes when entering glacial areas and the rapid temperature fluctuations characteristic of the Arctic region throughout the entire journey.

The collected data are expected to serve as foundational information for shippers and logistics companies using the Arctic route in the future, enabling them to identify risks by cargo type in advance and establish appropriate responses.

Willog’s devices analyse the entire route in a segment-by-segment profile covering departure from Busan, the Bering Sea, the Arctic Ocean and Europe. It derives tangible results based on history of internal temperature changes and condensation by segment, impact events caused by wave height, and comparison with existing transport data via the Suez Canal and Cape of Good Hope.

The cargo type suitability matrix and recommendations for packaging, loading and insurance design lead to cargo operation strategies for increasing the economic efficiency of the route, while segment-specific risk models and shipper readiness checklists for commercial operation transitions provide the decision-making foundation necessary for companies to incorporate the Arctic route into their actual supply chains.

“The core of this project is to support the safe completion of the first commercial cargo voyage on the Arctic route with data covering the entire journey,” said Yoon Ji-hyun, CEO of Willog (willog.io). “This will be an opportunity to demonstrate Willog’s value of guaranteeing cargo safety through data, even in new environments, on this new route.”