Arctic navigation redefines shipping routes creating new opportunities as well as risks for ships. In this regard, IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim is visiting Ilulissat, Greenland, on 25-29 August, to participate in a high-level roundtable on Arctic shipping. This is the first ever visit to Greenland by an IMO Secretary-General.
During his opening remarks, Mr Lim emphasised the need for balanced and sustainable shipping activities in Arctic waters.
He added that maritime infrastructure needs to be further developed and that more collaboration is necessary, considering the challenges ships face operating in polar waters.
Naalakkersuisoq Karl Frederik Danielsen, Greenland’s Minister of Housing and Infrastructure, said that IMO’s Polar Code, which stipulates mandatory safety and environmental standards for ships in Polar waters, is an instrument of great importance to Greenland.
The Polar Code (International Code for Ships Operating in Polar Waters) is the international regime adopted by IMO in 2014 which sets out regulations for shipping in the Polar Regions.
The Code aims to provide guidelines for safe ship operation and the protection of the Polar Environment by addressing risks present in polar waters and not adequately mitigated by other instruments.
The event is co-sponsored by the Danish Maritime Authority and the Government of Greenland.
