Arctic Council’s Policy Tools for Arctic Shipping

Abstract

The Arctic is becoming more and more accessible and attractive to international shipping as the sea ice melts and the Arctic sea routes stay open for longer periods. Most of the Arctic Ocean is defined as exclusive economic zones of the Arctic coastal states or high seas beyond national jurisdiction under the United Nations Convention on Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) meaning that no state alone can set regulations to the international shipping in the area. The aim of this thesis is to find out the policy tools that the Arctic Council (AC) has in order to develop the legal framework on Arctic shipping. This includes many legally binding international treaties and regional agreements as well as soft law. The AC’s working group Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment (PAME) has provided the Arctic Marine Shipping Assessment Report (AMSA) in 2009 including recommendations for Arctic shipping followed by three Status of Implementation Reports in 2011, 2013 and 2015. International cooperation in the Arctic is necessary in order to develop the area and its legal framework. Many of the AMSA recommendations have been answered but the work needs to continue effectively to ensure that the regulations are in line with the current developments in the Arctic region.