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Ship sailing in the Arctic
Ship sailing in the Arctic
© iStock

New Report Released on Flag States of Ships in the Arctic

December 19, 2023
OceanProtection of the Arctic Marine EnvironmentArctic Shipping Status Reports
The Arctic Council’s Working Group on the Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment (PAME) issued its fourth Arctic Shipping Status Report – Flag States of Ships in the Arctic: 2022

The Arctic Council’s Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment Working Group (PAME) releases Arctic Shipping Status Reports that illustrate diverse topics related to Arctic shipping. The newly released report analyzes the number of ships operating in the Arctic in 2022 by their Flag State. It also provides a basic summary of some of the legal rights and obligations of Flag States and ships flying their flags when operating in the Arctic.

In total, there were 1661 unique ships that entered the Arctic Polar Code area in 2022. Of these ships, there were 42 Flag States represented. The number of ships represented by the eight Arctic States was 1349. Ninety-six ships were represented by Arctic Council Observer States.


© PAME

The flag under which a ship sails – plays a vital function in maritime safety and security as well as protection and preservation of the marine environment. By linking a ship to a State, the system of ship registration creates international legal rights and obligations, both for the ship and for the State whose flag the ship flies.


© PAME

© PAME

All reports use data from PAME’s Arctic Ship Traffic Database. PAME developed the database, which includes data starting in 2013, in response to a growing need to collect and distribute accurate, reliable and up-to-date information on shipping activities in the Arctic. The first three Arctic Shipping Status reports, which focus on shipping trends and heavy fuel oil respectively, can be found here.

More detailed information, including legal rights and obligations of Flag States and ships flying their flags when operating in the Arctic, can be found in the full online report.

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