Hosted by Iceland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in March
2007, the “Breaking the Ice: Arctic Development and Maritime
Transportation” conference provided the first opportunity under
the International Polar Year banner for marine specialists and
stakeholders to exchange information on Arctic shipping and the
prospects of a trans-Arctic route between the North Atlantic and
the Pacific oceans.
Designed as a contribution to the Arctic Marine Shipping
Assessment, 90 delegates from all the Arctic countries, the United
Kingdom, China and the European Commission discussed and
debated issues on three key policy issues: the future of research
and monitoring in the Arctic, the status of emergency prevention
and response and the viability of trans-Arctic shipping.
The following are some of the observations made at the
seminar:
• The extraordinary retreat of Arctic sea ice and the rapid decrease
in multi-year ice has increased marine access throughout the
Arctic basin and coastal seas.
• The development of “double acting Arctic ships,” equally fit for
open ocean and navigation through ice without icebreaker
assistance, opens the possibility of year-round trans-Arctic container
traffic between the North Atlantic and the North Pacific
oceans. A number of double acting tankers and containerships
are already operating in the Arctic. The economics and icebreaking
capacity of such ships improve with larger size.
• Improved remote sensing technologies will make it possible to
provide information on ice thickness and ice ridges. The emergence
of ice forecast services can be used for plotting sailing
routes through the ice.
• The globalization of world economy and rapid growth in international
trade has led to capacity constraints of the Panama
and Suez canals, hampering the integration of North Atlantic
economies with fast growing economies in East and Southeast
Asia. Trans-Arctic shipping would supplement present transportation
routes and spur economic development.
• The opening of a trans-Arctic route would enhance economic
security of the world. Present transportation links between
One presenter proposed the use of nuclear ships for trans-
Arctic shipping to decrease the release of greenhouse gases
and prevent the “graying” of the ice. Furthermore, nuclear ships
would be relatively cheaper to operate in view of high and rising
fuel costs.
• The participants agreed in general that Iceland could play a
role in the opening of a trans-Arctic sea route because of its
location in the middle of the Northern Atlantic. The new shipping
routes that pass near Iceland (routes of commercial ships
from Northwest Russia and northern Norway sailing to North
America) could be linked by Iceland serving as a hub for container
traffic in the northern Atlantic region.
The participants in the seminar concluded that experimental
and limited trans-Arctic commercial voyages through the central
Arctic Ocean could start during the summer navigation season
within a decade; and that a year-round trans-Arctic marine transportation
route between the North Atlantic and the North Pacific
oceans could plausibly open in one or two decades, considering
security, economic and environmental factors.

the North Atlantic and emerging economies in the Far East are
precarious. They are subject to delays because of accidents,
mechanical breakdowns and maintenance, and they are vulnerable
to disruption because of terrorist activities, regional
conflicts and piracy.
• The high cost of technical development and infrastructure
make it unlikely for private stakeholders to commence regular
trans-Arctic transportation without governmental support.
• International cooperation for the development of trans-Arctic
shipping should include stakeholders outside of the Arctic.
Chinese delegates at the conference expressed a willingness to
cooperate with the Arctic states in the research and development
of Arctic shipping.
• Changing ice conditions may make it challenging to maintain
tight transportation schedules and ensure the punctuality of
certain cargoes. Enhanced monitoring, improved sea ice information
and more efficient icebreaking carriers would significantly
improve the situation.
• A comprehensive feasibility study is needed to estimate the
commercial viability of trans-Arctic shipping, taking into
account a wide range of economic and natural variables,
including vessel cost, ice conditions, sailing speed on different
routes, etc. New shipping routes and technologies should be
pioneered with experimental voyages in order to gather better
information on the shipping conditions and viability of new
shipping routes.
• Care must be taken to minimize environmental effects of
increased shipping activity in the Arctic. The capacity of the
Arctic states for emergency response must be increased with
appropriate equipment, materials and sufficient towing capacity,
made available for various situations close to development
sites and shipping routes. The Arctic Council can play a role in
coordinating response to emergencies related to the shipping
through the EPPR working group.
• While voluntary or recommended guidelines for Arctic shipping
have been adopted by IMO, the movement toward mandatory
rules for Arctic shipping must be accelerated.