Recommendation 180

Notwithstanding these caveats, reduced ice coverage is leading to an increase in shipping traffic in the Arctic. A 2016 comparative analysis of shipping volumes published found that the Arctic accounted for over 9% of global shipping in 2014. 208 The Arctic Council’s Working Group on the Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment monitors Arctic ship traffic trends. It found that between 2013 and 2019 the number of ships entering the Arctic region grew by 25%, from 1,298 ships to 1,628 ships. The total distance sailed by those ships grew from 6.51 million nautical miles in 2013 to 9.5 million nautical miles in 2019. 209