Danish-Russian Cooperation on Arctic Shipping

On 19 October, the Danish Maritime Authority held a seminar on Arctic shipping together with the Russian Ministry of Transport. The seminar was held in Saint Petersburg and was attended by the IMO Secretary-General.

At the seminar, a wide range of aspects in relation to the increasing ship traffic in the Arctic regions were debated, and experience was exchanged on, inter alia, safety of navigation, regulation, commercial possibilities and administrative reductions. Furthermore, the perspectives of future cooperation were debated, including under the auspices of the Danish-Russian government council as well as the work on the Polar Code in the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

The seminar saw participants from the authorities and the industry, and both Danish and Russian shipowners contributed with specific experience gained from voyages through the Northeast Passage, which is becoming still more relevant as a shipping lane between Europe and Asia.

Furthermore, the Danish Maritime Authority had the opportunity of demonstrating the perspectives of ArcticWeb which the Danish Maritime Authority is developing and which provides new possibilities in relation to monitoring and planning of Arctic voyages. The seminar ended with a Russian presentation of the training of seafarers for navigation in icy waters.

In addition to participation from the Danish Maritime Authority, the Government of Greenland, the Danish Shipowners’ Association and several Danish shipping companies, there were participants from the Russian Ministry of Transport, the Russian Register of Shipping and the Russian industry as well as from Russian maritime training institutions in Saint Petersburg. Furthermore, IMO Secretary-General Koji Sekimizu took part in the debate.

The Danish delegation was headed by Director-General of the Danish Maritime Authority Andreas Nordseth, who is also the Danish Co-Chair of the Transport Working Group under the Danish-Russian government council, while the Russian delegation was headed by Director Konstantin Palnikov from the Russian Ministry of Transport.

The seminar is part of the implementation of the Government’s Plan for Growth in the Blue Denmark, stating that the Government will support maritime activities in the Arctic region, inter alia by strengthening cooperation with other Arctic states.

DMA, October 28, 2013