A new public web portal has been designed to support implementation of IMO’s Polar Code for ships operating in polar waters, on the sidelines of the second meeting of the Arctic Council’s Arctic Shipping Best Practices Information Forum, on 14-15 May, in London.
The Forum’s web portal provides links to authoritative information essential to implementation of and compliance with the Polar Code. For example, links are available on hydrographic, meteorological, and ice data information needed to plan for safe and environmentally sound navigation in the Arctic.
The move has been welcomed by IMO’s Stefan Micallef, Assistant Secretary-General and Director of the Marine Environment Division. Speaking at the Forum, Mr. Micallef highlighted the importance of both the Polar Code for safe, clean polar shipping, and the Forum´s collaboration with IMO to support the Code’s effective implementation.
Information for the web portal was contributed by many stakeholders, including Arctic States, intergovernmental organizations, classification societies, the shipping industry, marine insurers, and non-governmental organizations.
The Polar Code entered into force in January 2017, seting out mandatory standards covering the full range of design, construction, equipment, operational, training and environmental protection matters that apply to ships operating in the inhospitable waters surrounding the two poles.
