Polar code
The Polar Code (actually International Code for Ships Operating in Polar Waters , English for International Code for ships in polar waters are operated ) is a collection of binding rules and recommendations for the member states of the International Maritime Organization apply (IMO) . The provisions came into force on January 1, 2017 after six years of negotiations. The Polar Code is intended to make ships operating in the Arctic Ocean safer and also contribute to environmental protection . It contains regulations that cover “all aspects of navigation in the waters around the poles”. Ships sailing in these regions must be certified according to the Polar Code.
Content
"The goal of this Code is to provide for safe ship operation and the protection of the polar environment by assessing risks present in polar waters and not adequately mitigated by other instruments of the Organization."
"The aim of this code is to ensure the safe operation of ships and the protection of the polar environment by evaluating risks in polar seas that have not been adequately mitigated by other instruments of the organization."
The contents of the International Code for Ships Operating in Polar Waters are divided into mandatory provisions (Part A) and recommended actions (Part B). Both parts contain requirements for ship and personal safety and for the prevention of environmental pollution. For example, it is mandatory for people to carry warm clothing on board and the availability of closed lifeboats . It is recommended, for example, not to use heavy oil as a fuel due to the high environmental pollution.
Certification of ships
Ships intended for operation in polar waters are mainly divided into categories according to the distinction between the sea ice for which they were developed and then certified.
- Category A for ships that can negotiate at least medium-sized annual sea ice (around 70 to 120 centimeters).
- Category B for ships that have not been developed according to the requirements of Category A, but can handle at least thin annual sea ice (30 to 70 cm).
- Category C for ships operating in open waters with less sea ice than defined for categories A and B.
The issuance of the “polar certificate” also requires that operational information for polar waters be carried along, which, in addition to basic data on the limitations for safe operation, also contains emergency provisions.
POLARIS
The Polar Operational Limit Assessment Risk Indexing System ( POLARIS ), which was developed by the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) for the Polar Code, has been criticized several times by the Russian side; ultimately, POLARIS has not become part of the risk assessment within the framework of the Polar Code. The work of the IACS was based on contributions from Canada, Finland, Sweden and Russia themselves, POLARIS was supposed to make the Polar Code easy to use in practice.
Dorottya Bognar from Norway's Arctic University sees the Russian intervention as an expression of political and economic self-interest: The decision-making authority over ships off the Russian coast is thus preserved. The non-implemented proposal of the Russian Federation to expand the POLARIS to include the Russian system of ice classes would also have strengthened its own position. On the other hand, there were justified objections from the Russian Federation that individual POLARIS procedures were inadequately tested. In any case, this would not serve the basic idea of the Polar Code of working towards a universal set of rules for shipping.
Regardless of Russia's criticism, POLARIS was positively rated by Craig Eason in Lloyd's List : It was exactly what the Polar Code could not be - an interpretation of the various ice and polar class regimes in the industry. Because the Polar Code is already weakened by continuous political influence. POLARIS could offer a more powerful solution.
Contract negotiations
The provisions were finalized in 2015 after six years of negotiations and compromises. This was preceded by the adoption of Resolution A. 1024 (26) by the General Assembly of the International Maritime Organization in December 2009. This laid down the need to take into account the special climatic conditions of the polar regions, which was regulated by the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea and the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships 1973/78.
Negotiating partner
The negotiations on the Polar Code took place between the states that are involved in the IMO, representatives of classification companies and shipping companies .
In a scientific study by Norway's Arctic University it was found that the representatives of Russia are sometimes acting counterproductive to the goals of the Polar Code. This is due to national economic interests: particularly in the structurally weak east of Russia, an impairment of the fishing industry is undesirable. ( See also: Section "POLARIS" )
The fact that the shipping companies concerned agreed to the Polar Code is attributed to their economic interests: a certified ship that meets the requirements will cost a lower insurance premium .
Rating & criticism
Although the IMO calls the Polar Code a “milestone”, there has been criticism from various sides, even if a fundamental improvement in the conditions is acknowledged.
The "growing polar shipping and its potentially catastrophic consequences for the environment are only inadequately addressed."
The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) attests that the Polar Code does not protect the environment from noise and air pollution , biological invasion and inadequate regulations for the discharge of waste or toxins.
In particular, there is a lack of a ban on heavy fuel oil as a fuel for shipping in all polar waters, as it has been in the Antarctic since 2011, notes the WWF Norway. The fact that this was not implemented is primarily due to Russia. Around 6,000 ships are regularly on the move in polar waters, the majority of them flying the Russian flag. Most of the Russian industry is fueled by heavy fuel oil. In addition, there is a shipping company and cruise lobby that draws attention to the lack of ships that meet this environmental protection criterion. In the event of a ban on heavy fuel oil, journeys through the Arctic Sea would be economically uninteresting.
The heavy fuel oil is extremely harmful to the environment and "practically impossible" to remove from the contaminated area in the event of an accident. In addition, there is no infrastructure in the remote regions that can handle an oil spill . In addition, navigation there using satellite-based technology is unreliable.
The fact that the Polar Code only considers large ships and neglects trawlers that are in large numbers in the polar sea is another deficit.
In 2014, Lloyd's Register announced that it would develop its own “complementary” guidelines for polar shipping. Previously it was feared that the growth of polar shipping could "overtake the abilities of the makers to create a legal framework in the far north."
Implementation and monitoring
The neighboring states are responsible for monitoring the regulations .
As 80 percent of Arctic shipping travels through the country's waters, Norway has a key role to play in dealing with control obligations and sanctions.
Web links
- Shipping in polar waters - Adoption of an international code of safety for ships operating in polar waters (Polar Code) , website of the International Maritime Organization on the Polar Code
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d Reinhard Wolff: Traffic rules in ice water , Die Tageszeitung - Website, May 19, 2015. Accessed January 7, 2017.
- ↑ Shipping in polar waters - Adoption of an international code of safety for ships operating in polar waters (Polar Code) , website of the International Maritime Organization on the Polar Code
- ↑ a b c Dorottya Bognar: Russian Proposals on the Polar Code: Contributing to Common Rules or Furthering State Interests? , Arctic Review on Law and Politics (Vol. 7, No. 2) - website. Retrieved January 8, 2017.
- ↑ a b c Reinhard Wolff: Cleaner through the Ice Sea , Die Tageszeitung - Website, January 6, 2017. Accessed January 7, 2017.
- ↑ Craig Eason: Aronnax: is Polaris better than the Polar Code? , Lloyd's List , October 28, 2014. Retrieved January 8, 2017.
- ↑ Resolution A.1024 (26) - GUIDELINES FOR SHIPS OPERATING IN POLAR WATERS , December 2, 2009, imo.org - website of the International Maritime Organization . Retrieved January 8, 2017.
- ↑ a b c More Force Needed in New Polar Shipping Rules , World Wildlife Fund website, Jan. 1, 2017. Retrieved January 8, 2017.
- ↑ a b Dom Yanchunas: Environmental Groups Push For Stronger Polar Code , News Deeply , June 3, 2016. Retrieved January 8, 2017.
- ↑ a b Kevin McGwin: Lloyd's guidelines to “complement” Polar Code ( memento of the original from January 8, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , The Arctic Journal website, March 18, 2014. Retrieved January 8, 2017.
