Denmark takes the lead on navigation in Arctic regions 

Climate changes mean that the possibilities of navigating between Europe and Asia by through the North-East Passage and the North-West Passage become greater. It is expected that more ships will navigate in the cold and icy Arctic waters in the future. If it becomes more common to take the northern route, many nautical miles and days at sea are saved.

Should an accident occur in Arctic waters, a number of special circumstances may render the accident worse than if it had occurred in another place on the globe. Often the distance to the nearest rescue station or port of refuge is great, and the Arctic regions are especially sensitive to pollution. Furthermore, there are still not many ships in the area. It would therefore, to a lesser extent, be possible for a ship encountering an accident to be assisted by other ships in the vicinity. In addition, the water is cold as ice, and this may greater demands on the life-saving appliances that must be carried on board the ships. Consequently, preventive measures must be launched for the safety of the ship, the crew and in consideration of the environment.

The Danish Maritime Authority strives to create better and safer conditions of navigation in the Arctic regions. The work is being carried out internationally – primarily in the United Nations’ International Maritime Organization (IMO). At a session in late February, it was decided, among other things, to take the point of departure in a Danish risk analysis identifying issues that it is particularly important to regulate for ships embarking on voyages in Arctic regions. The risk analysis and other previous Danish proposals also point to ways in which to make ships safe and train the crews as well as possible so that they can navigate these waters in a safe manner. There was general agreement among the countries in the Arctic region to use the Danish risk analysis in the ongoing work.

The Danish Maritime Authority stresses that the following preventive measures are important to create safer navigation in Arctic regions:

• Education and training of crew for Arctic voyages.
• The ship’s design so that it is capable of resisting the ice and cold.
• Marine equipment capable of being used in extreme conditions.
• Surveillance of ship traffic.
• Navigation in pairs of two for cruise liners.
• Guidance and information for ship traffic about Arctic conditions.

The Danish Maritime Authority expects that the regulations on safer navigation in the Arctic regions, called the Polar Code, will be finalised in 2011.

If you would like to know more about the Danish Maritime Authority’s work with Arctic navigation, please contact Ship Surveyor Søren Enemark Jensen, tel. +45 39 17 46 13, e-mail sej@dma.dk.

The entire summary of the IMO session (the 53rd session of the Sub-Committee on Design and Equipment (DE)) is available here.