The number of ships operating in the Arctic reached a record high in 2025, according to new data from the Arctic Council Working Group on the Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment
The number of ships operating in the Arctic reached a record high in 2025, according to new data from the Arctic Council Working Group on the Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment (PAME). The Working Group has been tracking Arctic shipping traffic trends since 2013 utilizing its Arctic Ship Traffic Data (ASTD) System.
In 2025, 1812 unique ships entered the Arctic Polar Code area. This is a 40% increase from 2013 when data collection began. (Each ship is only counted once, although many ships enter the area multiple times each year.)
Comparing 2013 to 2025, the distance sailed by ships in the Arctic Polar Code Area increased 95%, from 6.1 million to 11.9 million nautical miles.
The increase in shipping coincides with diminishing sea ice in the Arctic. The number of unique ships entering the Arctic Polar Code area is generally highest in the month of September, when Arctic sea ice is at its lowest extent.
In September 2025,1,060 ships entered the Polar Code area out of the total 1,812 ships that entered the entire year, amounting to 58% of traffic.
Fishing vessels are the most common type of ship in the Arctic, representing 40% of all ships that
Content Original Link:
" target="_blank">
