"The proposal would apply to non-Canadian vessels as well. But it still represents an intolerable interference in the regulation of international traffic," says Niels Sindal, chair of the Danish Delegation to the Nordic Council.

The Canadian decision is part of a debate that has raged in recent years about shipping and the rights to raw materials in the Arctic. Canada has traditionally viewed the Northwest Passage as part of its territorial waters. Climate change is expected to make the Passage navigable for much of the year, potentially reducing sailing times between Europe and Asia by some considerable margin.

"It is crucial that shipping in the Northwest Passage is regulated by international agreements under the auspices of the IMO if we are to guarantee widespread international support within the UN," Sindal explains.

"The UN's International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the Nordic Council have spent years striving to ensure that matters related to the Arctic are regulated by international agreements."

"The Northwest Passage is in international waters. Safety at sea is becoming more and more of a consideration in the area as the volume of shipping increases. Cruises to Greenland alone have increased dramatically in recent years."

It all boils down to money in the final analysis.

"Like the other Arctic states, Canada is scrambling for position ahead of the negotiations that will start after 2014 about the rights to the continental shelf in the Arctic, which will provide access to natural resources," concludes Sindal, who intends to raise the issue at the next meeting of the Nordic Council in April.

Contact:
Niels Sindal MP (Soc. Dem.)
Chair of the Danish Delegation to the Nordic Council and member of thethe Committee of Parliamentarians of the Arctic Region
Tel.: +45 33 37 40 19