Arctic Regional Hydrographic Commission News

The United States joined other Arctic Coastal States in a mutual effort to develop nautical charts that will improve the safety of mariners transiting the Arctic. At a meeting in Ottawa, representatives from Canada, Denmark, Norway, Russia and the United States established a new Arctic Regional Hydrographic Commission. According to U.S. representatives at the meeting, there have been increases in ice-diminished conditions that are seen over longer periods, resulting in a doubling of vessel traffic in the Arctic since 2005.

The Honourable Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Foreign Affairs, met with foreign ministers of the five Arctic Ocean coastal states—Canada, Denmark, Norway, Russia and the United States—in Chelsea, Quebec on March 29. “By virtue of our sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction in large parts of the Arctic Ocean, we are in a unique position to address new opportunities and challenges in the region,” said Minister Cannon. “We are committed to doing so within the extensive international legal framework that applies to the Arctic Ocean. Our citizens and northern inhabitants expect us to continue to show leadership on Arctic issues, and that is what we are doing. We are not reacting to change but shaping it.