Arctic Council Working Group 
Arctic Ship Traffic Data (ASTD)
ASTD has put PAME and the Arctic Council at the forefront to monitor Arctic shipping activities.
Arctic Ship Traffic Data (ASTD) Program
Reliable, up-to-date Arctic shipping data for analysis
ASTD is PAME's database of shipping activity in the Arctic, providing data for governments, researchers, students, the media, and professional, academic, research and environmental organizations.
What's in the ASTD Program
The ASTD Program collects a wide range of historical information on shipping in the Arctic.
Ship tracks
Historical ship tracks, broken down by ship type.
Ports and communities
The number of ships in over 400 ports and communities across the Arctic.
Fuel and emissions
Fuel type, fuel consumption and emissions (CO2, CO, NOx and SO2), calculated by DNV using IMO emission factors.
Activity by area
Shipping activity in specific areas, such as EEZs, Arctic LMEs and the Polar Code area.
About the ASTD Program
PAME and the Arctic Council use ASTD data for analyses and projects that benefit work across the Council's working groups. Seven of the eight Arctic States participate and have access for their own research and analysis, while Permanent Participants, Arctic Council Observers and other subsidiary bodies can gain access on request. Each user has their own login, can download data for their own analysis, and can add their own data, such as shapefiles, to display in the system.
The ASTD Program is a significant step in closing the knowledge gap on circumpolar ship traffic. With the Arctic's sea ice changing and shipping projected to increase, it keeps the Arctic Council at the forefront of monitoring trends, and informs studies, assessments and recommendations that enhance Arctic marine safety and protect Arctic people and the environment.
The program builds on the shipping database developed in 2005 for the Arctic Marine Shipping Assessment (AMSA 2009), using more advanced technology and collecting data continuously rather than for a single year.
Arctic ship traffic, 2013 and 2025
Ship tracks from the Arctic Ship Traffic Data (ASTD) system. Switch ship types on and off with the buttons below the map. Drag to turn the globe, use + and − to zoom.
Source: PAME, Arctic Ship Traffic Data (ASTD), www.astd.is. Fishing vessels include fish factory ships and fish carriers. Land: Natural Earth.
What changed between 2013 and 2025?
Shipping in the Arctic Polar Code area, from PAME’s Arctic Shipping Status Report #1.
Twice the distance, 40% more ships.
Unique ships
+40%
Distance sailed
+95%
Gas tankers
1 → 40
Driven by the Yamal LNG project in Russia: from 0 to 866,147 nautical miles sailed.
Bulk carriers in Baffin Bay
5 → 32
Linked to the Mary River iron ore mine on Baffin Island, which opened in 2015.
Cruise ships
+43%
Tugs
+106%
More than doubled.
September sea ice
−15%
Average Arctic sea ice extent in September.
Fishing vessels
40%
of all ships in 2025 were fishing vessels, the largest group by far.
Source: PAME – Arctic Shipping Status Report (ASSR) #1, updated 2026. Numbers refer to the Arctic Polar Code area, except bulk carriers in Baffin Bay (Baffin Bay Large Marine Ecosystem) and sea ice (whole Arctic; US National Snow and Ice Data Center, as cited in the report).
Start here
ASTD Data Document
The essential guide for every ASTD user. It explains what data the ASTD Program contains, where it comes from, how to access it and how to work with it.
- Where the data comes from
- ASTD System and FTP Server compared
- The three access levels
- Every data field explained
- Ship types, flag codes and ice classes
- Worked examples: fuel, distance, emissions and hours
- AIS limitations and data quality
- How to clean downloaded data
Four sources of data
- AIS dataShip positions from satellites and base stations provided by the USA, Norway and Iceland.
- Ship characteristicsType, size, flag and gross tonnage from S&P Global, which issues IMO numbers on behalf of the IMO.
- Fuel and emissionsFuel types and air emissions calculated by DNV using IMO emission factors.
- Sea iceMonthly sea ice extent from the U.S. National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC).
Around 4 million records are added to the database every 24 hours.
Three access levels
- ILevel IAccess to all available data.
- IILevel IIAll data except vessel identity (MMSI, IMO number and ship name).
- IIILevel IIIAs Level II, with ship types grouped into fewer, broader categories.
Apply for access
Getting access takes three steps.
-
Check that you can apply
- National government agencies and ministries of the Arctic States (ASTD Participant States)
- Government agencies and ministries of Arctic Council Observers
- Not-for-profit professional, academic, research and environmental organizations
- Students (limited free access)
- Bona fide media organizations (limited free access)
-
Download the application form
-
Send it to the PAME Secretariat
Email the completed form to pame@pame.is.
Already a user?
Log in to the ASTD System with your username and password.
Log in to the ASTD SystemQuestions? Contact the PAME Secretariat at pame@pame.is.
ASTD in action
Examples of applications and projects
Below are examples of 75 projects from more than 60 governments, universities, research institutes, organizations and media that have applied to use ASTD data in recent years. Filter by type of work to explore them.
- Safety and navigation2026
OpenRisk II: a method for assessing maritime risk
Norwegian Coastal Administration and Gdansk University of Technology
- Policy and security2026
The future of Greenland
University of Oregon
- Safety and navigation2026
Monitoring ship traffic around the Faroe Islands
MRCC Tórshavn, Faroe Islands
- Media and education2026
Arctic shipping data story
BBC
- Policy and security2026
Infrastructure, critical minerals and the shifting Arctic policy landscape
George Washington University
- Sea ice and climate2026
How rising temperatures affect Arctic shipping, marine ecosystems and Alaska communities
University of Alaska Fairbanks
- Media and education2026
View From Above: Arctic (video)
Business Insider
- Safety and navigation2026
Marine accidents in the Arctic and sub-Arctic
ENSM, KEDGE Business School, ISEN Ouest, University of Sharjah and EM Normandie
- Environment and wildlife2026
Black carbon and public health in Arctic communities
Aleut International Association
- Media and education2026
Break the Arctic (reporting project)
Pulitzer Center
- Traffic, routes and trade2026
Maritime traffic analysis
Finnish Transport and Communications Agency
- Environment and wildlife2026
Emerging contaminants from Arctic shipping: sources, types and trends
Memorial University of Newfoundland
- Policy and security2026
Arctic maritime situational awareness
Danish Defence Command
- Environment and wildlife2026
What Arctic shipping means for polar bears
University of Alberta and Environment and Climate Change Canada
- Safety and navigation2026
Maritime safety analysis
Icelandic Coast Guard
- Sea ice and climate2025
Changes in Arctic sea ice volume
Wuhan University
- Policy and security2025
China's strategic interests in the Northern Sea Route
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
- Environment and wildlife2025
Trends in CO2 emissions from shipping in the Canadian Arctic
University of California, Irvine
- Policy and security2025
Arctic Plan
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
- Environment and wildlife2025
Pacific walrus on the Chukchi Sea coast, monitored by satellite
USGS Alaska Science Center
- Policy and security2025
Policy memo on Arctic shipping
Clinton School of Public Service
- Safety and navigation2025
Planning marine emergency response in the Arctic
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
- Policy and security2025
The Arctic: a dilemma of resource competition
Carleton University
- Traffic, routes and trade2025
Arctic sea routes in a changing climate
French National Maritime Academy (ENSM)
- Safety and navigation2025
Collecting and evaluating POLARIS ice risk data
Transport Canada, Marine Safety and Security
- Media and education2025
Using ASTD data in research and teaching
NTNU, Department of Marine Technology
- Media and education2025
University course: Arctic shipping and the Northern Sea Route
The University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS)
- Policy and security2025
From icebreaker expeditions to luxury hotels: Arctic tourism as soft power
University of Sheffield
- Traffic, routes and trade2025
Foreign investment and shipping trade in the Arctic
University of Ottawa
- Policy and security2025
Naval readiness and environmental impacts in the Arctic
Naval Postgraduate School, U.S. Navy
- Policy and security2025
Dual-use infrastructure in Alaska
RANE, for the Denali Commission
- Sea ice and climate2025
Ice conditions and shipping trends for the Norwegian Ice Service
Norwegian Meteorological Institute
- Traffic, routes and trade2025
Arctic industrialization in the age of melt
New York University
- Sea ice and climate2025
How climate change is shaping Arctic shipping and emissions
Durham University
- Traffic, routes and trade2025
Arctic shipping as a safe, clean supply chain
Pusan National University
- Policy and security2024
Arctic governance and Portugal's role in the Arctic (PhD thesis)
NOVA University Lisbon
- Sea ice and climate2024
OceanICU (EU research project)
Institute of Marine Research and World Maritime University
- Policy and security2022
How Arctic shipping has changed since 2013, and the role of data in governance
University of Washington
- Safety and navigation2022
Traffic trends for maritime search and rescue
Canadian Coast Guard
- Environment and wildlife2022
Oceans Protection Plan
Environment and Climate Change Canada
- Safety and navigation2022
Navigation risks for ships with little or no ice class
Memorial University of Newfoundland
- Safety and navigation2022
Machine-learning risk models and POLARIS
NTNU, Department of Marine Technology
- Environment and wildlife2022
Inventory of fishing practices and lost fishing gear
Icelandic Transport Authority and GRID-Arendal
- Environment and wildlife2022
Ship traffic, discharges and the marine environment in Norwegian Arctic waters
Norwegian Maritime Authority
- Environment and wildlife2022
Marine invasive alien species in Arctic waters
Norwegian Coastal Administration
- Traffic, routes and trade2022
Sustainable development of the Arctic Ocean (SUDARCO)
Nofima and NIVA
- Traffic, routes and trade2022
Infographics on mining and shipping in the Arctic
PAME Secretariat and GRID-Arendal
- Sea ice and climate2022
Arctic PASSION (EU research project)
British Antarctic Survey
- Sea ice and climate2022
Arctic PASSION (EU research project)
University of Ottawa
- Environment and wildlife2022
Black carbon emissions from ships in the Arctic
NOAA, United States
- Traffic, routes and trade2022
An economic model of Arctic shipping
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (U.S. Department of Energy)
- Environment and wildlife2022
Shipping data for modelling the spread of invasive species
University of Maine, Canadian-American Center
- Media and education2022
Educational poster map of Inuit Nunangat
University of Maine, Canadian-American Center
- Safety and navigation2021
Planning nautical charts for Greenland waters
Danish Geodata Agency
- Environment and wildlife2021
Mapping fishing effort in Greenland waters
Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, with MFRI Iceland
- Safety and navigation2021
Route selection for autonomous ships in polar waters
Korea Maritime Institute
- Environment and wildlife2021
How shipping affects Arctic coastal communities in Alaska and Canada
NOAA Alaska Fisheries Science Center
- Safety and navigation2021
Risk analysis of Arctic shipping routes
Vanderbilt University
- Safety and navigation2020
Modelling ship operations in ice
Aalto University, Mechanical Engineering
- Sea ice and climate2020
Sea ice, ship traffic and air pollution along the Northern Sea Route
UiT The Arctic University of Norway
- Environment and wildlife2020
Shipping data for AMAP's Arctic assessments
Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP)
- Traffic, routes and trade2020
Ship traffic to and from Arctic mines
Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF)
- Sea ice and climate2020
Climate change impacts on Arctic marine activity (dissertation)
Cardiff University
- Environment and wildlife2020
Ship traffic, sea ice and marine mammals
University of Alaska Fairbanks
- Sea ice and climate2020
Climate, sea ice and Arctic ship traffic
Nord University
- Policy and security2020
US and Russian maritime activity in the Arctic (master's thesis)
University of Pennsylvania
- Sea ice and climate2020
Predicting Arctic shipping routes in a future climate
Pennsylvania State University
- Traffic, routes and trade2020
Arctic shipping status report from a Canadian perspective
Canadian Coast Guard
- Safety and navigation2020
Planning aids to navigation in the Arctic
Canadian Coast Guard
- Safety and navigation2020
Nearby ships and time to rescue in polar waters
National Research Council of Canada
- Environment and wildlife2020
Where shipping meets thick-billed murres
Environment and Climate Change Canada
- Environment and wildlife2020
Where shipping meets Dolly Varden char in the Beaufort Sea
Fisheries and Oceans Canada, with University of Alaska Fairbanks
- Safety and navigation2020
Greenland shipping routes to guide charting priorities
Danish Geodata Agency
- Environment and wildlife2020
Ship traffic in the Central Arctic Ocean
Institute of Marine Research, Norway
- Environment and wildlife2020
Black carbon and methane emissions in the Russian Arctic
Yu. A. Izrael Institute of Global Climate and Ecology, Russia