South Korea is looking to test the route as part of a push to establish regular Arctic shipping between Busan and Europe by 2030.

The bottleneck has only grown more severe in recent weeks, with ships arriving at the Sulina Canal faster than authorities can move them through.

This is only the second time the canal has ever imposed restrictions on daily transits, with rainfall in the region between May and August coming in 34% below average.

Tehran has said any normalization of traffic would hinge on the U.S. complying with the terms of a memorandum of understanding signed in June.

The initiative seeks to establish a “temporary joint maritime corridor” and project for mine clearance to restore safe navigation through the area.

One clear sign the technology is gaining credibility is that there will be 40 IWSA members at the upcoming SMM trade fair in September in Hamburg.

The two crossings -- by one very large gas carrier and one very large crude carrier -- fell far short of the 10-day average of 14 daily commodity vessels.

The incidents add another risk around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a critical chokepoint connecting the Gulf of Aden with the Red Sea and a key route for global shipping.

Since March 1, there have been 1,514 dark crossings in and out of the Persian Gulf, and three different oil slicks are spreading through the area.

The Pinglu Canal will reportedly shorten inland waterway transportation by nearly 350 miles, reduce transportation costs by as much as $735 million annually.