The 1969 voyage of SS Manhattan, a 106 500 dwt ice-strengthened
tanker, through the Northwest Passage inaugurated a new era of arctic
shipping research and development activity. The voyage also triggered
alarm about marine environmental protection, and raised questions
about the rights of indigenous peoples to participate in ocean resource
development and management decision making. This paper reviews the
record of arctic shipping safety and marine environmental protection,
drawing primarily on Canadian and US experience since 1970. Because
many international conventions and a number of national laws
governing marine environmental protection and shipping activities
pre-date the expansion of arctic marine operations to 1985 levels, a
critical review of the adequacy of existing regulatory frameworks is
urgently needed.
The first section surveys the nature of policy commitments and legal
obligations to enhance ship safety and assure marine environmental
protection at international and domestic levels. The second section
examines contemporary patterns of arctic shipping and the operational
safety and marine casualty records of Canada and the USA. The third
section evaluates various options for enhancing arctic marine environmental
protection and ship safety at national, regional and international
levels.