More ships must meet the Polar Code before entering our Arctic

With its scope expanded to new categories of vessels that may be less familiar with polar hazards, it is time to strengthen awareness and increased enforcement in the Canadian Arctic.

Improved compliance with the Polar Code will reduce the likelihood of serious accidents and major environmental spills in a fragile Arctic ecosystem with a short vertical food chain. The code has now been in force for more than eight years, writes Pierre Leblanc. Photograph courtesy of Flickr/NASA Goddard Space Flight Centre

Opinion

BY PIERRE LEBLANC

May 25, 2026

The United Nations International Maritime Organization adopted the Polar Code in November 2014 to reduce loss of life at sea caused by inadequate preparedness for operations in polar regions, which are more isolated and challenging than lower-latitude waters.

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