As more and more ships venture into the Arctic, resources to cope with search and rescue operations along with potential environmental cleanups are lacking.
Speaking at IUMI conference in Hong Kong, Stein Are Hansen, head of department, loss prevention and emergency response, Norwegian Hull Club, said: “ Humans make mistakes. Have we really thought about the risks in the Arctic? From the Clipper Adventurer to the Titanic, there have been huge accidents in the Arctic. You can prepare yourself to death but are we prepared for waking up to seeing oil on a polar bear on the front page of the New York Times?”
“There are few search and rescue capabilities in the Arctic. We will soon be responsible for rescuing people up to the North Pole. We need more training and sophisticated equipment to help deal with the potential disasters. For example, fuel stations for helicopters.”
Last year there were 71 transit voyages in the region, a significant increase over previous years. There were also over 11,000 flights over the Arctic in 2012.
IUMI said it actively engaged on the Polar Code, which will become mandatory for SOLAS countries and is close to being finalised by the International Maritime Organisation,
The Polar Code covers the full range of design, construction, equipment, operational, training, search and rescue and environmental protection matters relevant to ships operating in the inhospitable waters surrounding both the South and North poles.
The Polar Code will be discussed again in November 2014 at the next meeting of the IMO Maritime Safety Committee. [mappress] Press Release, October 2, 2014; Image: IMO