Source: IMO Press Briefings
International Conference on Safe and Sustainable Shipping in a Changing Arctic Environment (ShipArc 2015), 25-27 August 2015, WMU, Malmö, Sweden
The International Maritime Organization (IMO), World Maritime University (WMU) and the Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment (PAME) working group of the Arctic Council have announced a call for papers for a joint International Conference on Safe and Sustainable Shipping in a Changing Arctic Environment (ShipArc 2015), to be held from 25 to 27 August 2015 at WMU in Malmö, Sweden.
As an increasingly ice-diminished environment in the Arctic accelerates interest in and potential for new maritime trade routes, merchant transportation, and resource development such as mining, oil & gas exploration, tourism and fishing, all of which will involve increased shipping activity, ShipArc 2015 will provide a timely opportunity to address pressing issues regarding the rapidly changing Arctic environment.
IMO adopted the International Code for Ships Operating in Polar Waters (Polar Code) in November 2014, and safe and environmentally sound Arctic shipping has long been an important theme among the Arctic Council’s priorities. The World Maritime University plays a key role in conducting research on and building capacity in Arctic issues and governance.
As the pace of development and related activity in the Arctic marine environment challenges the world’s capacity to prepare for it in a safe and sustainable way, ShipArc 2015 will provide a timely opportunity to engage those proposing and engaging in resource development and shipping, those most likely impacted by Arctic shipping (for example, coastal communities and indigenous peoples) and those responsible for its wise and sustainable management, to come together in an international symposium to discuss a forward-looking regulatory, governance, research and capacity-building agenda that will define and assist in achieving safe and sustainable shipping in a changing Arctic environment.
The opening address for the event will be delivered by IMO Secretary-General Koji Sekimizu. Themes to be addressed throughout the three-day event include:
- The Polar Code: Implementation & Compliance Assurance
- Beyond the Polar Code
- Arctic Governance
- Sustainable Arctic Business Development
- Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment
- Training, Capacity-Building, Science & Research
Call for Papers
Papers under all themes will inform and enrich the conference discussions. The abstract submission deadline is 31 May 2015 to AbstractsShipArc2015@wmu.se
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Details
Safe and Sustainable Shipping in a Changing Arctic Environment (ShipArc 2015)
Date: 25-27 August 2015
Location: Malmö, Sweden
Conference website: wmu.se/events/shiparc-2015
#ShipArc2015
Interested journalists will be approved to cover the conference provided they have a specific commission for coverage of the event (and not just of speakers or others attending). A media pass entitles entrance to the conference and associated events. Members of the press are responsible for their own travel and accommodation costs. If interested in attending as a member of the press, please contact WMU Communications Officer, Maia Brindley Nilsson,mbn@wmu.se
The World Maritime University
The World Maritime University (WMU) in Malmö, Sweden is a postgraduate maritime university founded in 1983 by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), a specialized agency of the United Nations. The aim of WMU is to further enhance the objectives and goals of IMO and IMO member states around the world through education, research, and capacity building to ensure safe, secure, and efficient shipping on clean oceans. WMU is truly an organization by and for the international maritime community.
Contact: Maia Brindley Nilsson, Communications Officer, World Maritime University, (+46) 40 356314, mbn@wmu.se
The Arctic Council
The Arctic Council is a high-level intergovernmental forum that addresses issues faced by the Arctic governments and the indigenous people of the Arctic. It has eight member countries: Canada, the Kingdom of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden, and the United States. (www.arctic-council.org/index.php/en/)
PAME Working Group of the Arctic Council
The Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment (PAME) is one of six working groups of the Arctic Council that provides a unique forum for collaboration amongst Arctic member governments, its six Permanent Participant organizations, accredited Observers and other Arctic stakeholders, on a wide range of activities focused on protection of the Arctic marine environment, all of which contribute to the advancement of the Council’s agenda. (pame.is/)
International Maritime Organization (IMO)
As a specialized agency of the United Nations, IMO is the global standard-setting authority for the safety, security and environmental performance of international shipping. Its main role is to create a regulatory framework for the shipping industry that is fair and effective, universally adopted and universally implemented. (www.imo.org)
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