RS at the 2025 Polar Maritime Seminar

The Seminar covered a broad array of topics, ranging from maritime safety to environmental protection and international regulatory instruments for polar shipping.

Particular emphasis was placed on the development of international, regional and national requirements and recommendations for environmentally sound Arctic and Antarctic vessel activity.

Recalling relevant IMO decisions, participants discussed the adoption of amendments to MARPOL Annex VI for the designation of new Emission Control Areas for Sulphur Oxides and Nitrogen Oxides in Canadian Arctic Waters and the Norwegian Sea, the implementation of the heavy fuel oil ban in Arctic waters and amendments to the Polar Code with requirements for non-SOLAS ships operating in the polar region.

As such, the 107th session of the Maritime Safety Committee adopted a set of amendments to the SOLAS Convention and the Polar Code on the safe navigation and voyage planning applicable to ships not covered by the Convention:

• fishing vessels of 24 m in length overall and above,
• noncommercial pleasure yachts of 300 GT;
• cargo ships between 300 and 500 GT.

Vessels built before the new requirements enter into force on January 1, 2026, will receive a one-year grace period to implement the additional safety measures.

The event concluded with proposals for future discussions from a number of State and international organization representatives. Topics of interest included the regulation of underwater radiated noise, the establishment of new Emission Control Areas in the North Atlantic as well as the development of new amendments to the Polar Code.

Events such as the Polar Maritime Seminar provide a convenient forum for discussing key issues on the agenda of IMO and other international bodies. These meetings highlight the specifics of Arctic shipping and inform the industry on promising areas of international maritime law and regulation.

Additional information:

Founded in 1913, Russian Maritime Register of Shipping (RS) is a world-renowned classification society that operates within all spheres of the maritime industry with the goal of improving the operational and environmental safety of marine transportation. RS reviews technical documentation, surveys ships and offshore facilities under construction and in service, certifies vessels and companies for compliance with international conventions, recognizes and certifies industrial products and manufacturers, certifies quality management systems for compliance with international and national standards.

Today, RS is actively implementing the concept "More than class" by expanding its scope of services in the field of engineering and consulting, the development of technical documentation for vessels in service, marine warranty surveys and certification. In addition, RS surveys all container types, including tank containers and offshore containers, confirms compliance of packaging for dangerous goods, as well as renders services on the declaration and certification of dangerous goods and bulk cargoes.