The IMO Sub-Committee on Ship Design and Equipment (DE) has made great progress in its efforts to develop international environmental and safety regulations for navigation in polar regions.

For the recent session of the Sub-Committee on Ship Design and Equipment held in March 2013, Denmark had, together with other Arctic coastal States, submitted a proposal for a special chapter on marine environment regulations for the Polar Code. The Polar Code is a special set of regulations that ships must comply with to navigate polar waters. It is being negotiated in the IMO and is expected to be finalised by 2014.