AMSA 2011 Progress Report: Status on Implementation of the AMSA 2009 Report Recommendations
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Issue Date
2011-05
Authors
Subject
PAME , Arctic shipping
Abstract
The Arctic Marine Shipping Assessment (AMSA) Report was
completed and approved by Arctic Council Ministers at
their meeting in Tromsø, Norway in April 2009. The AMSA
Report examines Arctic shipping from historical, legal,
environmental, infrastructure and other perspectives and provides
17 recommendations to promote safety and environmental awareness
of current and future Arctic shipping activity.
Issuance of the AMSA report closely followed two years (2007,
2008) of the lowest levels of Arctic sea ice coverage in recorded
history and increasing regional and global concern that improved
marine access and a significant increase in Arctic marine activity,
particularly transit shipping and cruise vessel traffic, was putting the
Arctic marine environment at risk.The AMSA report recommendations involve multiple stakeholders
and apply at national, Arctic Regional, and international levels. The recommendations
are aligned under three themes: Enhancing Arctic Marine
Safety; Protecting Arctic People and the Environment; and Building
the Arctic Marine Infrastructure. Some of the recommendations can
be realized quickly while others are complex and long-term in nature,
and require considerable resources to implement. Although each of the
17 recommendations deals with a particular issue or hazard, they need
to be considered collectively in order to effectively address the potential
impacts of increased Arctic shipping activity.
This progress report on the status of the implementation of the
AMSA report’s 17 recommendations is intended to acknowledge the
successes and significant progress in several areas and, at the same time, draw attention to areas and recommendations where progress
is limited and more work may be needed.