Central Vessel Monitoring

In keeping with this spirit of increased cooperation, quality information exchange of both scientific and non-scientific information on an increased scale is needed in the Arctic. Each of the following roles would facilitate best management practices in the region. First, global ship tracking and monitoring systems should be integrated. Namely, a central command unit funded by the Arctic nations and endowed with complete oversight capabilities should clear, track and oversee all Arctic shipping. This would allow threats to be monitored constantly, provide transparency about Arctic activities, and permit ships in imminent danger – for instance, a vessel traveling close to navigational hazards – to be properly alerted and diverted. At the same time, a central monitoring system would allow infrastructure costs to be spread amongst the nations.