Maritime shipping in the Arctic: challenges and opportunities to improve safety must be reflected in the state's transport policy

The opening of the Arctic Sea routes ushers in many opportunities due to the melting of the Arctic Sea ice. The International Maritime Organization has introduced the Polar Code for shipping and training of seafarers. Follow up by regulatory authorities of incidents along with the Northern Sea Route and increasing ship casualties in the Arctic region have been analyzed, including the adequacy of existing regulations. The author’s opinion is that the inadequate oversight mechanism brings out a need for governments of the Arctic, especially in Russia, to examine the adequacy of measures undertaken, including regulation to implement the Polar code, associated infrastructure in the Arctic for safe navigation and the current state of search and rescue. The challenges in implementing the Polar Code and the necessity for independent maritime regulatory authorities and greater sharing of information relating to the analysis of incidents are discussed. The practical significance of the article is in its use by policy makers and researchers working on transport policy and safety of Arctic navigation, and also for academic use at universities.