Regulations required to handle increased Arctic shipping traffic

Increased shipping traffic through Arctic waters and delays in international governance are putting Canadian waters at risk, the Winnipeg Free Press reported.

The International Maritime Organization has delayed its mandatory ‘Polar Code’ for all ships in the Arctic until 2013, at the earliest. But some countries, such as Russia, have already “aggressively” increased shipping through the Arctic, the paper reported.

“There’s a pressing need for more consistent and improved standards for throughout the Arctic because of the increased interest in shipping both on the part of Arctic nations and countries all around the world,” Martin von Mirbach, Canadian Arctic program director for the World Wildlife Fund, told the Free Press.

“It’s in Canada’s interest to have mandatory global rules for both safety and environment procedures. Accidents anywhere in the Arctic will eventually affect Canadian water and industry is more likely to follow regulations that are consistent around the world.”