Tag: Arctic

Enhancing safety of navigation in polar areas United Nations' International Maritime Organization (IMO) has just approved global binding regulations intending to enhance safety of navigation in polar areas. This means, inter alia, new requirements for passenger ships.Following several years of intense negotiations, the IMO Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) has today approved a new set of regulations on navigation in Arctic waters. Thus, the IMO has today taken a decisive step towards making the so-called Polar Code internationally binding.The entire palette of navigation in polar areas is covered by the Polar Code - from ship design and construction, over crew training and navigation to improved coordination of search and rescue operations. The Polar Code will apply to passenger ships and cargo ships with a gross tonnage of more than 500."Denmark has been active in placing the Polar Code on the IMO agenda. Therefore, I am extremely pleased that - with the Polar Code - we will now enhance the safety of ships navigating Arctic and Antarctic waters. Denmark has especially been striving to enhance the safety of especially cruise ships navigating Greenland waters. The new internationally binding regulations will also introduce a number of important measures to be taken when navigating ...

GAO has issued a report on better direction and management of voluntary recommendations and how this could enhance U.S. Arctic Council participation

The Arctic Marine Tourism Project (AMTP) is part of a renewed effort by the Arctic Council to analyze and promote sustainable tourism across the circumpolar Arctic.

The EU Council welcomed the Joint Communication of the Commission and the High Representative of June 2012 on Developing a European Union Policy towards the Arctic Region, which set out the path for the EU's increased engagement in the Arctic. On the Foreign Affairs Council meeting, 12 May 2014 the Eu Council adopted the following conclusions: The Council took note of the important considerations of the European Parliament in its resolution of 12 March 2014 on the EU strategy for the Arctic. The Arctic is a region of growing strategic importance and the Council agrees that the EU should now further enhance its contribution to Arctic cooperation. Rapid climate change, a major concern and cause of fundamental changes in the Arctic, combined with increased prospects for economic development in the Arctic region call for the EU to engage actively with Arctic partners to assist in addressing the challenge of sustainable development in a prudent and responsible manner. The Council welcomes the significant range of activities the EU is already undertaking in the region across the EU policy spectrum, in particular a valuable contribution to Arctic cooperation through research (€20 million/year, 2007-13), regional and cross-border investment (€1.14 billion, 2007-13) and cooperation ...

Conclusions of the Foreign Affairs Council meeting held on 12 May 2014 The EU Council welcomed the Joint Communication of the Commission and the High Representative of June 2012 on Developing a European Union Policy towards the Arctic Region, which set out the path for the EU's increased engagement in the Arctic.On the Foreign Affairs Council meeting, 12 May 2014 the Eu Council adopted the following conclusions:The Council took note of the important considerations of the European Parliament in its resolution of 12 March 2014 on the EU strategy for the Arctic. The Arctic is a region of growing strategic importance and the Council agrees that the EU should now further enhance its contribution to Arctic cooperation. Rapid climate change, a major concern and cause of fundamental changes in the Arctic, combined with increased prospects for economic development in the Arctic region call for the EU to engage actively with Arctic partners to assist in addressing the challenge of sustainable development in a prudent and responsible manner.The Council welcomes the significant range of activities the EU is already undertaking in the region across the EU policy spectrum, in particular a valuable contribution to Arctic cooperation through research (20 million/year, 2007-13), ...

The US National Research Council issued a new report titled: The Arctic in the Anthropocene: Emerging Research Questions that reviews research questions previously identified by Arctic researchers. The report identifies emerging research questions important for understanding how environmental and societal transitions will affect the Arctic and the rest of the world. It also assesses what is required to address these questions, and points to the need to translate research findings into practical information that can help guide management and policy decisions. Once ice-bound, difficult to access, and largely ignored by the rest of the world, the Arctic is now front and center in the midst of many important questions facing the world today. Our daily weather, what we eat, and coastal flooding are all interconnected with the future of the Arctic. What happens in the Arctic has far-reaching implications around the world. Loss of snow and ice exacerbates climate change and is the largest contributor to expected global sea level rise during the next century. Ten percent of the world's fish catches comes from Arctic and sub-Arctic waters. The U.S. Geological Survey estimated that up to 13 percent of the world's remaining oil reserves are in the Arctic. The geologic history ...

Aker Solutions has developed a concept for an arctic drillship able to operate in sea ice. Scale model tests shows the Aker Solutions Arctic Drillship is performing as expected, or even better.

The US National Research Council issued a new report titled: The Arctic in the Anthropocene: Emerging Research Questions that reviews research questions previously identified by Arctic researchers.

The Arctic Council's Task Force for Enhancing Scientific Cooperation in the Arctic (SCTF) held its second meeting in Helsinki on April 8-9, 2014 at the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture.

In March 2014, Patrick Borbey, Chair of the Arctic Council's Senior Arctic Officials (SAO) spoke in London at a Conference on Sustainable Arctic Shipping and Marine Operations. The conference was organized and supported by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Sweden, the Swedish Polar Research Secretariat, the Embassy of Sweden in London and the Nordic Council of Ministers. Mr. Borbey spoke about associated issues of marine safety, infrastructure, and tourism, including the work of Arctic Council Working Group PAME on the Arctic Marine Tourism project. He emphasized the collaborative work of the Arctic states, not only carried out within the Arctic Council, but also within the International Maritime Organization (IMO) on the Polar Code. On Canada's experience with Arctic shipping Mr. Borbey said: "Many people talk about shipping through the Northwest Passage or the Northern Sea Route, but in Canada there hasn't been a huge amount of experience in that area. Of the shipping that has taken place, some has been quite symbolic, like the journey of the Manhattan in 1969. Even in that instance, the Manhattan - which was refitted to be an icebreaking tanker - ran into difficulties along the way and was broken out by a small ...