Only 71 ships crossed the Northern Sea Route last year, compared to the 18,000 handled by the Suez Canal, but about a 1,000 vessels travelled into the high Arctic, with much of the growth coming from oil and gas activity, particularly in Russia. Click on the image to see the full-sized version.
Maritime nations are close to a landmark deal on the Polar Code, aimed to improve safety, lead to lower insurance premiums and help the rise of traffic, industry insiders said.
A draft of the code could be finalized by members of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) this week and go into force by 2016, ending years of delays, Sturla Henriksen, the director general of Norwegian Shipowners’ Association said.
The Polar Code will set stringent rules on pollution, safety of life, training, certification and watch keeping. It will prescribe ship properties including required ice class and set uniform rules for all vessels in all of the polar countries.
Under the current rules, any vessel travelling into the high Arctic — defined as above 72 degrees north – had to agree on a separate policy with its insurer with unique conditions negotiated for each vessel and each journey.