Panstar on course to expand box shipping network in Asia

South Korea’s Panstar Group, active in ro-ro ferry operations and as a shipping agency, has boosted its ambitions in container shipping.

This month, Panstar joined the Korea Near-Sea Freight Conference, a league of feeder operators active in the South Korea-Japan route.

Panstar, which has no containerships of its own, will work with Heung-A Line, Dongjin Shipping, and Dong Young Shipping to operate South Korea-Japan routes and to expand into China and South-east Asia.

It is the first company to join the conference in 19 years; other members include KMTC Line, Sinokor Merchant Marine, Namsung Shipping, CK Line, Pan Ocean and Pan-Continental Line.

Panstar made its debut in liner shipping in mid-2024 with a standalone South Korea-Japan feeder service, in addition to carrying containers on its regular ro-ro ferry routes between South Korea, Japan, and China. In May, it was the only ship operator to volunteer for the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries’ pilot Busan-Rotterdam voyage via the Northern Sea Route in September.

Panstar was welcomed into the league in recognition of its on-time performance in shipping memory chips. Furthermore, with its ro-ro ferries, it can transport machinery, and has been preparing to ship equipment for the construction of the Yongin semi-conductor cluster on Seoul’s outskirts.

Panstar plans to gradually expand its container services by combining its China-Japan ferry services with the multimodal transport route connecting Korea, China, and Japan through joint operations.

Chairman Kim Hyun-kyum said: “Panstar has now reached an important turning point as it leaps forward as a partner with compatriot shipping lines.

“We will cooperate with these shipping lines to expand container routes to China and South-east Asia, moving together from coastal waters to the deep seas.”

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