Report on Arctic Council PAME Shipping Expert Group (SEG) Meeting
Reported by Natsuhiko OTSUKA (Hokkaido University)
Related Research Program: Arctic Sea Routes
The third Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment (PAME)’s Shipping Expert Group (SEG) meeting (co-led by USA and Canada) was held online on 4-5 November 2024. In each of three meetings, over 60 participants joined. The third meeting was to review current activity of eleven projects, discuss the project plan for 2025-2027 including four new projects and summary report to the up-coming PAME plenary meeting on 14-15 November 2024. The current project is as follows:
1) Arctic Shipping Status Reports (ASSR)
2) Arctic Shipping Best Practice Information Forum
3) Arctic Port Reception Facilities Inventory
4) Collaboration with the Arctic Regional Hydrographic Commission (ARHC)
5) Interpretation of the Polar Code
6) New Low Sulphur Fuels, Fate, and Behaviour in Cold Water Conditions
7) Systematically Strengthening Observer Engagement in PAME’s Shipping Work
8) Arctic Arrangement for Regional Reception Facilities
9) Underwater Noise in the Arctic: Understanding Impacts and Defining Management Solutions – Phase II
10) Wastewater Discharges from Vessels in the Arctic – A Survey of Current Practices
11) Raising awareness in the Arctic Council of the provisions of the 2012 Cape Town Agreement
Of the above projects, 3), 5), 7), 11) were completed and four new project plans were decided to be proposed to the PAME Plenary Meeting as follows:
1) Arctic Marine Tourism: Mapping Whale Watching in the Arctic
2) The Development of a Regional Reception Facilities Plan
3) Potential Places of Refuge for Vessels in Need of Assistance in the Arctic: An Inventory
4) POLARIS