ICS ‘Confident’ of Cleaner Arctic Shipping

Speaking at a high-level Arctic Summit recently, the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) highlighted the issues relating to shipping and its effect on the environment, while stating that it is confident on the future of a positive environmental performance because of the binding global agreement set by the IMO to ensure clean and efficient shipping practices.

PTI previously reported that arctic shipping emissions could rise by up to 600% as the arctic sea melts and global warming increases.

As reported in Ship Management International, Peter Hinchliffe, ICS Secretary General, explained that “the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) is the appropriate forum for developing standards for ships operating in the Arctic as it has the necessary legal and technical expertise to take full account of the interests of all maritime nations including those with an Arctic coastline.”

Cargo ship volumes are increasing at a breathtaking rate along the arctic region as they provide faster trading routes between Europe and Asia.

This has sparked concern as there are only around 1% of the Arctic’s have been surveyed to ensure that they meet modern standards.