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.

PAME releases Arctic Shipping Status Reports that illustrate diverse topics related to Arctic shipping. A new report analyses the number of ships operating in the Arctic in 2022 by their Flag State. A Flag State is the nation State under whose laws a ship is registered and must comply.

Moreover, the report 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, 1661 unique ships 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.

The flag under which a ship sails plays an important role 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.

All reports use data from PAME’s Arctic Ship Traffic Database. PAME’s database includes data starting in 2013. PAME’s database comprises sea ice extent, meteorological and oceanographic conditions, and international regulations information that affects ship traffic activity.

Source: Arctic Council Secretariat

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