Polar Code (ships in polar waters)

In December 2013, the research icebreaker Akademik Shokalskiy is trapped in ice off Antarctica, with fifty-two people aboard, for ten days, before its passengers are evacuated by helicopter. The incident is a reminder that polar waters have their own risks: ice, temperature, distance from rescue, incomplete charts, weak communications. The International Code for Ships Operating in Polar Waters, the Polar Code, was adopted by the IMO in 2014 and 2015 and entered into force on January 1, 2017 for new ships, applying to existing ships at their first survey after January 1, 2018. It applies to SOLAS ships in the Arctic and Antarctic, and in part to MARPOL provisions, with a ban on the discharge of oil and noxious substances at sea. Each ship must carry a polar ship certificate, which ranks the ship in category A, B or C according to the ice it can face, and a polar water operational manual. The code regulates construction, cold-adapted life-saving equipment, crew training and environmental protection. The ban on heavy fuel oil in the Arctic, adopted by the IMO in 2021, has applied since July 2024, with waivers until 2029. For the insurer, the polar route is an area of navigation limits in hull policies, with loadings and ice class conditions, and little rescue capacity.