Arctic Council Working Group 
Arctic Ship Traffic Data (ASTD)
ASTD has put PAME and the Arctic Council at the forefront to monitor Arctic shipping activities.
Arctic Ship Traffic Data (ASTD) Program
Reliable, up-to-date Arctic shipping data for analysis
ASTD is PAME's database of shipping activity in the Arctic, providing data for governments, researchers, students, the media, and professional, academic, research and environmental organizations.
What's in the ASTD Program
The ASTD Program collects a wide range of historical information on shipping in the Arctic.
Ship tracks
Historical ship tracks, broken down by ship type.
Ports and communities
The number of ships in over 400 ports and communities across the Arctic.
Fuel and emissions
Fuel type, fuel consumption and emissions (CO2, CO, NOx and SO2), calculated by DNV using IMO emission factors.
Activity by area
Shipping activity in specific areas, such as EEZs, Arctic LMEs and the Polar Code area.
About the ASTD Program
PAME and the Arctic Council use ASTD data for analyses and projects that benefit work across the Council's working groups. Seven of the eight Arctic States participate and have access for their own research and analysis, while Permanent Participants, Arctic Council Observers and other subsidiary bodies can gain access on request. Each user has their own login, can download data for their own analysis, and can add their own data, such as shapefiles, to display in the system.
The ASTD Program is a significant step in closing the knowledge gap on circumpolar ship traffic. With the Arctic's sea ice changing and shipping projected to increase, it keeps the Arctic Council at the forefront of monitoring trends, and informs studies, assessments and recommendations that enhance Arctic marine safety and protect Arctic people and the environment.
The program builds on the shipping database developed in 2005 for the Arctic Marine Shipping Assessment (AMSA 2009), using more advanced technology and collecting data continuously rather than for a single year.
Arctic ship traffic, 2013 and 2025
Ship tracks from the Arctic Ship Traffic Data (ASTD) system. Switch ship types on and off with the buttons below the map. Drag to turn the globe, use + and − to zoom.
Source: PAME, Arctic Ship Traffic Data (ASTD), www.astd.is. Fishing vessels include fish factory ships and fish carriers. Land: Natural Earth.
What changed between 2013 and 2025?
Shipping in the Arctic Polar Code area, from PAME’s Arctic Shipping Status Report #1.
Twice the distance, 40% more ships.
Unique ships
+40%
Distance sailed
+95%
Gas tankers
1 → 40
Driven by the Yamal LNG project in Russia: from 0 to 866,147 nautical miles sailed.
Bulk carriers in Baffin Bay
5 → 32
Linked to the Mary River iron ore mine on Baffin Island, which opened in 2015.
Cruise ships
+43%
Tugs
+106%
More than doubled.
September sea ice
−15%
Average Arctic sea ice extent in September.
Fishing vessels
40%
of all ships in 2025 were fishing vessels, the largest group by far.
Source: PAME – Arctic Shipping Status Report (ASSR) #1, updated 2026. Numbers refer to the Arctic Polar Code area, except bulk carriers in Baffin Bay (Baffin Bay Large Marine Ecosystem) and sea ice (whole Arctic; US National Snow and Ice Data Center, as cited in the report).
Start here
ASTD Data Document
The essential guide for every ASTD user. It explains what data the ASTD Program contains, where it comes from, how to access it and how to work with it.
- Where the data comes from
- ASTD System and FTP Server compared
- The three access levels
- Every data field explained
- Ship types, flag codes and ice classes
- Worked examples: fuel, distance, emissions and hours
- AIS limitations and data quality
- How to clean downloaded data
Four sources of data
- AIS dataShip positions from satellites and base stations provided by the USA, Norway and Iceland.
- Ship characteristicsType, size, flag and gross tonnage from S&P Global, which issues IMO numbers on behalf of the IMO.
- Fuel and emissionsFuel types and air emissions calculated by DNV using IMO emission factors.
- Sea iceMonthly sea ice extent from the U.S. National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC).
Around 4 million records are added to the database every 24 hours.
Three access levels
- ILevel IAccess to all available data.
- IILevel IIAll data except vessel identity (MMSI, IMO number and ship name).
- IIILevel IIIAs Level II, with ship types grouped into fewer, broader categories.
Apply for access
Getting access takes three steps.
-
Check that you can apply
- National government agencies and ministries of the Arctic States (ASTD Participant States)
- Government agencies and ministries of Arctic Council Observers
- Not-for-profit professional, academic, research and environmental organizations
- Students (limited free access)
- Bona fide media organizations (limited free access)
-
Download the application form
-
Send it to the PAME Secretariat
Email the completed form to pame@pame.is.
Already a user?
Log in to the ASTD System with your username and password.
Log in to the ASTD SystemQuestions? Contact the PAME Secretariat at pame@pame.is.
ASTD in action
Examples of applications and projects
75 projects from more than 60 governments, universities, research institutes, organizations and media have applied to use ASTD data since 2020. Filter by type of work to explore them.
- Safety and navigation2026
Methodology of the OpenRisk II project
Norwegian Coastal Administration / Gdansk University of Technology
- Policy and security2026
The future of Greenland
University of Oregon
- Safety and navigation2026
General use of ASTD data, exploring what is available and monitor ship traffic around the Faroe Islands
MRCC Tórshavn, Faroe Islands
- Media and education2026
BBC Arctic shipping data journalism
BBC News
- Policy and security2026
Infrastructure, Critical Minerals, and the Shifting Arctic Policy Landscape
George Washington University
- Sea ice and climate2026
The influence of rising temperature on the political economy of Arctic shipping, marine ecosystems, and Alaska local communities
University of Alaska Fairbanks
- Media and education2026
View From Above: Arctic (video)
Business Insider
- Safety and navigation2026
Marine accidentology in the Arctic (Polar Code area and sub-Arctic)
French consortium: ENSM, KEDGE BS, ISEN Yncrea Ouest, Univ. of Sharjah, EM Normandie
- Environment and wildlife2026
Community-Based Black Carbon & Public Health Assessment
Aleut International Association
- Media and education2026
Break the Arctic
Pulitzer Center
- Traffic, routes and trade2026
Maritime Traffic Analysis
Finnish Transport and Communications Agency
- Environment and wildlife2026
Emerging contaminants from Arctic shipping activities: Sources, types, loadings, and trends
Memorial University of Newfoundland
- Policy and security2026
Arctic Maritime situational awareness
Danish Defence Command
- Environment and wildlife2026
Assessing the implications of Arctic shipping for polar bears
University of Alberta / Environment and Climate Change Canada
- Safety and navigation2026
Maritime Safety Analysis
Icelandic Coast Guard – Hydrographic and Maritime Safety Department
- Sea ice and climate2025
Study on Arctic Sea Ice Volume Change
Wuhan University
- Policy and security2025
China's Strategic Interests in the Northern Sea Route
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
- Environment and wildlife2025
Trends in CO2 emissions due to shipping in the Canadian Arctic
UC Irvine
- Policy and security2025
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Arctic Plan
US Department of Homeland Security
- Environment and wildlife2025
Pacific walrus occupancy of major coastal haulouts in the Chukchi Sea as monitored by satellite imagery
USGS Alaska Science Center
- Policy and security2025
Prescriptive Policy Memo Regarding Arctic Shipping
Clinton School of Public Service
- Safety and navigation2025
Integrated Marine Response Planning, Marine Emergency Response, Arctic
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
- Policy and security2025
Arctic: Dilemma of Resource Competition
Carleton University
- Traffic, routes and trade2025
The Arctic maritime routes: views and concerns in a changing climate context
ENSM – French National Maritime Academy
- Safety and navigation2025
POLARIS Data Collection and Evaluation (PAME)
Transport Canada – Marine Safety & Security
- Media and education2025
Data in research and education
NTNU – Dept. of Marine Technology
- Media and education2025
AT-319 Arctic Shipping – The northern Sea Route
UNIS – University Centre in Svalbard
- Policy and security2025
From Ice-breaker expeditions to luxury hotels: Mapping Arctic tourism as soft power projection in a contested region
University of Sheffield
- Traffic, routes and trade2025
FDI and shipping trade in the Arctic region
University of Ottawa
- Policy and security2025
Enhancing Naval Operational Readiness through Environmental Impact Analysis
Naval Postgraduate School, US Navy
- Policy and security2025
Dual Use Infrastructure Project
Stratfor / RANE for the Denali Commission
- Sea ice and climate2025
Norwegian Sea ice service ice operational regimes and shipping trends
Norwegian Meteorological Institute
- Traffic, routes and trade2025
Arctic industrialization in the age of melt
New York University
- Sea ice and climate2025
An investigation into how climate change is shaping the shipping and emissions of the Arctic region
Durham University, UK
- Traffic, routes and trade2025
Arctic Shipping as Safe Clean Supply Chain
SCSC – Pusan National University
- Policy and security2024
PhD thesis: Arctic governance: challenges for sustainable development. Portugal's role in the Arctic Agenda
NOVA University Lisbon
- Sea ice and climate2024
OceanICU
Institute of Marine Research / World Maritime University
- Policy and security2022
Changes in Arctic shipping since 2013; data in Arctic governance
University of Washington
- Safety and navigation2022
Traffic trends for the Maritime Search and Rescue program
Canadian Coast Guard
- Environment and wildlife2022
Oceans Protection Plan (OPP 2.0)
Environment and Climate Change Canada
- Safety and navigation2022
Risks of Arctic Navigation for low/non ice-class ships
Memorial University of Newfoundland
- Safety and navigation2022
POLARIS use and machine-learning risk models
NTNU – Dept. of Marine Technology
- Environment and wildlife2022
Fishing Practice & Gear Inventory (ALDFG)
Icelandic Transport Authority / GRID-Arendal
- Environment and wildlife2022
Analysis of traffic with focus on the marine environment and ship discharges in the Arctic area and Norwegian Arctic area
Norwegian Maritime Authority
- Environment and wildlife2022
Marine Invasive Alien Species in Arctic Waters
Norwegian Coastal Administration
- Traffic, routes and trade2022
Sustainable development of the Arctic Ocean (SUDARCO) – WP 6
NOFIMA & NIVA
- Traffic, routes and trade2022
Infographics illustrating relationship between mining and shipping in the Arctic
PAME Secretariat / GRID-Arendal
- Sea ice and climate2022
EU Arctic PASSION research project
British Antarctic Survey
- Sea ice and climate2022
EU Arctic PASSION research project
University of Ottawa
- Environment and wildlife2022
A Report on Black Carbon emissions from ships in the Arctic
NOAA
- Traffic, routes and trade2022
InteRFACE project – Arctic shipping economic model
PNNL / JGCRI (US Dept. of Energy)
- Environment and wildlife2022
Gap analysis of Arctic shipping data for ship-borne species spread modeling
Canadian-American Center, University of Maine
- Media and education2022
An educational poster map of Inuit Nunangat
Canadian-American Center, University of Maine
- Safety and navigation2021
Nautical chart planning, Greenland EEZ
Danish Geodata Agency – Danish Hydrographic Office
- Environment and wildlife2021
Fishing-effort mapping, Greenland EEZ (with MFRI Iceland)
Greenland Institute of Natural Resources
- Safety and navigation2021
A Study on the Decision Conditions for Route Selection of Autonomous Vessels by Item Considering the Polar Environment
Korea Maritime Institute
- Environment and wildlife2021
Shipping impacts on US/Canadian Arctic coastal communities
NOAA Alaska Fisheries Science Center
- Safety and navigation2021
Navigating the New Arctic (NSF) – shipping route risk analysis
Vanderbilt University (Baroud Research Group)
- Safety and navigation2020
Ship-in-ice operations model (SEDNA / Lloyd's Register Foundation)
Aalto University, Mechanical Engineering
- Sea ice and climate2020
Sea ice, ship traffic and air-pollutant emissions along Arctic routes / NSR
UiT – Dept. of Technology and Safety
- Environment and wildlife2020
Use of ASTD in AMAP assessments (e.g. Adaptation Actions in a Changing Arctic)
AMAP Secretariat
- Traffic, routes and trade2020
Mainstreaming in mining initiative – ship traffic to/from Arctic mines
CAFF
- Sea ice and climate2020
Dissertation: climate change impacts on Arctic marine activity
Cardiff University
- Environment and wildlife2020
SIPN2 sea-ice/traffic research; ship traffic and marine mammal conflicts
University of Alaska Fairbanks
- Sea ice and climate2020
Climate variables, sea ice and Arctic ship traffic (journal article)
Nord University
- Policy and security2020
Master's thesis: US vs. Russian maritime activity in the Arctic
University of Pennsylvania
- Sea ice and climate2020
Predicting Arctic maritime transport pathways in future climates
Pennsylvania State University
- Traffic, routes and trade2020
Canadian-perspective Arctic Shipping Status Report (like ASSR #1)
Canadian Coast Guard
- Safety and navigation2020
Aids-to-navigation planning, Arctic Region
Canadian Coast Guard
- Safety and navigation2020
Vessels of opportunity and time-to-rescue in polar regions
National Research Council of Canada
- Environment and wildlife2020
Shipping overlap with thick-billed murres
Environment and Climate Change Canada
- Environment and wildlife2020
Dolly Varden and shipping overlap, Canadian Beaufort Sea
Fisheries and Oceans Canada, with University of Alaska Fairbanks
- Safety and navigation2020
Greenland traffic routes for charting priorities
Danish Geodata Agency
- Environment and wildlife2020
Ship traffic in the Central Arctic Ocean LME
Institute of Marine Research, Norway
- Environment and wildlife2020
Black carbon/methane emissions in the Russian Arctic (EGBCM report)
Yu.A. Izrael Institute of Global Climate and Ecology (Russia)