Ana Teresa Cardoso
Shipping activities in the Arctic region pose a wide range of pressures on its marine environment, including underwater noise, light disturbance, ship strikes with marine mammals, pollution from operations and accidents, and socioeconomic impacts on coastal communities. The IMO has adopted the Polar Code to manage shipping in the Arctic Ocean. Protecting the Arctic marine environment from shipping impacts is essential for all stakeholders, including seafarers. Shipping, including cruise tourism, serves societal drivers such as trade, commerce, and recreation, and global shipping is expected to increase, particularly if climate change continues to result in sea ice losses, potentially opening up new trade routes. Increases in shipping activity in the Arctic region have already been observed, raising concerns about potential impacts on sensitive Arctic marine ecosystems, particularly on marine mammals reliant on sound for communication and navigation. Climate change increases navigational risks in the Arctic due to mobile sea ice and limited hydrographic charting in newly opened areas. The WMO and IMO provide seafarers with weather, wave, and ice warnings and forecasts to mitigate these risks, extending the global maritime distress safety system. HFO has been identified as the most significant pressure exerted by ships in the Arctic, with fishing vessels, general cargo vessels, and service vessels being the top emitters of black carbon. The Arctic states should develop a integrated strategy for navigation in the Arctic to improve this region's sustainability and to guide the non-Arctic states.
