PAME is one of six Arctic Council working groups. PAME was first established under the 1991 Arctic Environmental Protection Strategy and was continued by the 1996 Ottawa Charter that established the Arctic Council.
PAME is the focal point of the Arctic Council’s activities related to the protection and sustainable use of the Arctic marine environment and provides a unique forum for collaboration on a wide range of activities in this regard.Ministerial deliverables are documents which PAME produced for each Ministerial Meetings. The Arctic Council Ministers can either approved, welcome or note the deliverables.
Deliverables are generally the main documents associated with each PAME project.
See Ministerial Deliverables.
The purpose of the PAME Work Plan is to provide a framework for PAME´s work related to the protection of the Arctic marine environment for every two year working period.
The PAME Work Plan includes information on all ongoing PAME projects and gives insight into activities ongoing at the given time.
PAME activities are governed by the Arctic Council Working Group Common Operating Guidelines.
The Operating Guidelines are to be read and used in conjunction with other documents, including the 1996 Ottawa Declaration establishing the Arctic Council, the AC Rules of Procedure (RoP), the AC Observer Manual for Subsidiary Bodies and other relevant documents of the AC.
PAME activities are guided by the Arctic Marine Strategic Plan and biennial Work Plans, which are developed by the PAME Working Group for approval by the Arctic Council Senior Arctic Officials.
The PAME logo is available for download here. The logo cannot be changed for use.
For more information contact the PAME Secretariat (pame@pame.is)
7 February 2019
PAME LAUNCHES ARCTIC SHIPPING DATABASE
“Positioning the Arctic Council at the forefront of Arctic shipping data analysis”
www.astd.is
Malmö, Sweden:
Today, the Arctic Council’s Working Group on the Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment (PAME) launched a comprehensive Arctic shipping activity database. The launch is a significant milestone in PAME’s work to improve knowledge of historical Arctic ship traffic activity and various factors that affect such activity, such as sea ice extent, meteorological and oceanographic conditions, and international regulations. The database will allow authorized users to analyze vessel traffic patterns, fuel use, and air emissions, among other economic and environmental conditions.
The database includes archived information from 2005 to 2018 and will be updated regularly. Information contained in the ASTD database includes:
Access to the database, which may be used only for non-commercial purposes, is available to all Arctic Council members, accredited academic institutions, and other recognized research entities.
An example of a product made using data from the ASTD database - an analysis of ships in the Polar Code Area in 2017 - can be seen here: Click here to download.
Comment by PAME Chair Renée Sauvé:
“When PAME released the Arctic Marine Shipping Assessment Report in 2009, it contained data on Arctic shipping activities that had been collected by asking Arctic nations to fill in an Excel spreadsheet. Now, we are able to use satellites to gather information on shipping traffic in the Arctic. I am confident that the ASTD database will benefit PAME, the Arctic Council, and others by providing an invaluable tool to support a wide range of reports and analyses. The ASTD will increasingly be pivotal as we seek to better understand the growth of Arctic ship traffic in the years to come.”
For more information please visit www.astd.is
EXAMPLE OF GRAPHIC PRODUCED BY USING ASTD DATA – FREE FOR USE
PRESS RELEASE:
Today, the Arctic Council’s Arctic Shipping Best Practice Information Forum launched a public Web Portal to assist in the effective implementation of the International Maritime Organization’s International Code for Ships Operating in Polar Waters (Polar Code).
The Web Portal, accessible at www.arcticshippingforum.is, provides links to authoritative information essential to implementation of and compliance with the Polar Code. For example, links are available on hydrographic, meteorological, and ice data information needed to plan for safe and environmentally sound navigation in the Arctic.
Information for the Web Portal was contributed by many stakeholders, including Arctic States, intergovernmental organizations, classification societies, the shipping industry, marine insurers, and non-governmental organizations. The Web Portal will be regularly updated and expanded as new information becomes available.
The Arctic Shipping Best Practice Information Forum was established in 2017 by the eight Arctic States (Canada, the Kingdom of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, the Russian Federation, Sweden and the United States) to help raise awareness and to promote the effective implementation of the Polar Code.
Dr. Stefan Micallef, Assistant Secretary-General of the IMO today gave remarks at the second meeting of the Forum highlighting the importance of the Forum´s work and collaboration between the IMO and the Forum to facilitate for a effective implementation of the Polar Code.
Finland’s Anita Makinen, the Forum Chair said:
“I am pleased to see the strong interest in the Forum and the evident commitment of its Participants to making it a success. I look forward to building on the progress made to date and further strengthening the Web Portal so that it becomes an indispensable tool for all those involved in Arctic shipping.”
The meeting took place in London from 14-15 May and was hosted by the Irish Cultural Centre. For further information about the Forum, its second meeting, and its participants, please visit the Meeting Site.