Skip to main content
Support
Event

IMO Polar Code Roundtable

Date & Time

Monday
Feb. 29, 2016
8:30am – 6:00pm ET
Get Directions

Overview

On Monday, February 29, 2016, the Wilson Center’s Polar Initiative hosted a private, off-the-record roundtable to discuss the forthcoming implementation of the International Maritime Organization’s Polar Code, which goes into force January 1, 2017. Participants included a wide variety of stakeholders and interested parties, representing the shipping industry and maritime services, environmental organizations, and Arctic nations and communities. Welcomed by Ambassador Mark Brzezinski, executive director of the U.S. Government’s Arctic Executive Steering Committee, the participants presented on a variety of challenges related to Arctic shipping and the Polar Code, and conducted a lively discussion on the issues. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) discussed the U.S. government’s effort to fund its Arctic policy and the importance of the U.S. Arctic to the nation.

 Among the many topics discussed, participants examined possible weak points of the Polar Code. Particular concern was expressed about the training and experience level of ship owners, operators, and crew, given the difficulty of enforcing requirements across an international industry. Participants examined the role of the insurance industry in providing “soft” regulation on these points. The discussion also focused on how to maximize the benefits and minimize the harm to coastal communities, especially for the indigenous peoples of the Arctic.

The conversation further covered the need for infrastructure to ensure that ships are able to operate safely and in compliance with environmental regulations in the Arctic, and the strategies that governments could pursue to provide this infrastructure effectively, such as through public-private partnerships. Necessary infrastructure includes, but is not limited to, disposal facilities for waste, deep water ports, search and rescue assets, and icebreakers.

The roundtable was able to facilitate a vibrant exchange of ideas, allowed stakeholders to convey their priorities to each other, and determine how to move forward with the new IMO requirements.

Anita Parlow, Esq., team lead for this project,  is completing a summary report of the day-long program, which will be posted to this website.

This project is funded in part by the Donner Canadian Foundation.

Relevant documents related to the IMO Polar Code can be found below.

Hosted By

Polar Institute

Since its inception in 2017, the Polar Institute has become a premier forum for discussion and policy analysis of Arctic and Antarctic issues, and is known in Washington, DC and elsewhere as the Arctic Public Square. The Institute holistically studies the central policy issues facing these regions—with an emphasis on Arctic governance, climate change, economic development, scientific research, security, and Indigenous communities—and communicates trusted analysis to policymakers and other stakeholders.  Read more

Thank you for your interest in this event. Please send any feedback or questions to our Events staff.