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Arctic Shipping on the Rise: What Trends Can Tell Us

May 12, 2025
OceanProtection of the Arctic Marine Environment
New data from the Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment Working Group of the Arctic Council sheds light on 10+ years of Arctic shipping trends

Access to the Arctic Ocean is increasing as sea ice thins and its extent reduces– enabling longer seasons of ship navigation and new access to previously difficult to reach regions. At the same time, the Arctic is home to significant natural resources such as iron ore and natural gas, with high commodity prices and a growing worldwide demand.

The Arctic Council Working Group on the Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment (PAME) is monitoring Arctic ship traffic trends, filling a crucial knowledge gap in the region. PAME’s updated data reveals just how much Arctic shipping is increasing, how far they’re sailing, what types of ships are in the region and more.

Increase in Arctic ship traffic and distance sailed

While geographic definitions of the Arctic vary, PAME frequently uses the Arctic Polar Code area as the boundary to identify ship traffic in the Arctic. The area is defined by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), an accredited Arctic Council Observer.

The number of unique ships entering the Arctic Polar Code area from 2013 to 2024 increased by 37%, according to PAME’s latest Arctic Shipping Status Report released in January 2025. In 2024, 1781 unique ships entered the Arctic Polar Code area, amounting to nearly 500 more ships than in 2013 when data collection began. The term unique ships refers to each ship only counted once, although many ships enter the area multiple times each year.


© PAME

The number of unique ships entering the Arctic Polar Code area is generally highest in the month of September, when Arctic sea ice is at its lowest extent. For example, in September 2024, 1064 ships entered the Polar Code area, out of the total 1781 ships that entered the entire year, compared to just 404 ships in February 2024.

Comparing 2013 to 2024, the distance sailed by ships in the Arctic Polar Code Area increased 108%, from 6.1 million to 12.7 million nautical miles. The distance represents the aggregate sailed for each ship in nautical miles.


© PAME

Types of ships in the Arctic

Fishing vessels are the most common type of ship in the Arctic Polar Code Area, representing over one-third of all ships. The second most common ship type is general cargo ships. Between 2013 and 2024, there was an increase in the number of ships of each ship type in the Arctic Polar Code Area apart from oil tankers and research vessels.


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Why is Arctic shipping increasing?

Hjalti Hreinsson is a Project Manager at PAME who creates Arctic Shipping Status Reports and administers the Arctic Ship Traffic Data Program. He shares insight into the shipping trends that have emerged over recent years.

“Several reasons contribute to the increase in Arctic shipping,” said Hreinsson. “One of them, and perhaps the most prominent one, is an increase in natural resource extraction. Compared to other marine areas worldwide, there aren’t that many ships in the Arctic, and new projects will strongly impact statistics.”

“For example, two large projects – the Mary River Mine in Nunavut and the Yamal Gas project – have led to increases in shipping in the Arctic Polar Code area. The number of bulk carriers has significantly increased as has the traffic of gas tankers, of which there were almost none in the Polar Code area prior to 2018.”

“It’s also significant that the Arctic is seemingly being used more for transport of cargo, with a large increase in general cargo ships in the last few years. A detailed analysis of cargo-transport would be a very interesting research project using data from our ASTD System,” Hreinsson added.


© PAME

The need for more Arctic shipping data

As Arctic shipping increases, monitoring trends and collecting data about Arctic shipping can contribute to enabling safer shipping in the Arctic.

In response to a growing need for accurate, reliable and up-to-date information on Arctic shipping activities, PAME developed the Arctic Ship Traffic Data (ASTD) Program. ASTD collects a wide range of information, including ship tracks by ship type, information on number of ships in over 450 ports/communities across the Arctic, detailed measurements on emissions by ships, shipping activity in specific areas and fuel consumption by ships. PAME and the Arctic Council use data from ASTD to conduct analyses and reports related to Arctic shipping.

“We are producing more reports, one on bulk carriers which is a very interesting case, as one also has to look at the size of each vessel. The bigger the vessel, the more it carries,” said Hreinsson. “The same goes with cruise and passenger ships, their number and distance sailed has increased, but the size of the ships and their passenger capacity has also increased.”

“All of this results in more maritime activity and therefore more people in the high Arctic, hence the safety of the vessels and their crew and passengers are of upmost importance,” remarked Hreinsson, who highlighted the significance of PAME projects such the ‘Arctic Shipping Best Practice Information Forum’, which assists in the implementation of the International Maritime Organization’s International Code for Ships Operating in Polar Waters.

He also highlighted PAME’s ‘Raising awareness of the Provisions of the International Maritime Organization’s 2012 Cape Town Agreement for the Safety of Fishing Vessels’, which, when implemented, will regulate fishing vessels specifically, as many existing international regulations do not apply to fishing vessels. He pointed out that the implementation of these regulations of course protects the environment and the people who live in the Arctic.

All Arctic Shipping Status Reports can be found on PAME's website.

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