Research Paper on IMO Polar Code: Seafarer Training & Arctic Shipping in China

Introduction

Arctic Shipping presents many challenges for the governance of the Arctic region with an increase in the access of its oceans for shipping companies. Transit of the Arctic region is controlled by the demanding western world markets as well as the rising economic powers of the east that search for the most cost-efficient routes in the sea (Hreinson, 2014). Although rapid melting of the ocean leads to greater vessel access, other obstacles await nations interested in shipping in the Arctic region because the shortest route may not necessarily be the best option (Hreinson, 2014). The Arctic Shipping routes include the Central Arctic Ocean Route, the Northern Sea Route, and the Northwest Passage.

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There are different phases when it comes to governance prowess and ships access. The primary governing bodies of the Arctic shipping include the International Maritime Organization, Canada and Russia's coastal state governance and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Kum and Sahin 2015). These organizations must strike a balance between a feasible route for shipping worldwide and the protection of the environment around the globe. The streamlining of these shipping standards and conventions is relevant to the advancement of China's economy as well as the need for the country to diversify current lanes of shipping (Hreinson, 2014). Over the years, China has developed an interest in the arctic region and is constantly searching for opportunities in the north.

Wang et al., (2019) posit that different from regular sea routes, the arctic region is constantly changing due to extreme climatic conditions and hence knowledge about the region changes with it and so does the engineering of sea transport. Acceleration of climate change forces the arctic region to change its year-round ice cap for seasonal cover (Hreinson, 2014). Such changes are likely to lead to the opening of a transpolar passage. In case the arctic ice disappears for one summer this may lead to the disappearance of the multi-year sea ice in the central part of the Arctic Ocean. Such a slight occurrence would greatly impact the standards of operation, construction as well as the design of all future activities of the arctic marine technologies.

Evidence regarding the conditions of the climate in the distant past has established a connection between the rise in global temperatures and the increase in the presence of Carbone (IV) Oxide saturation in the atmosphere (Kum and Sahin 2015). Such evidence can be found from ice cores that are normally extracted from the ice caps in the polar region. The last 20 years in the history of the world has witnessed a 0.6-degree increase in the level of global temperature. Seemingly, the current trend goes beyond the natural trend variability (Wang, et al. 2019). Average temperatures in the arctic region have risen by almost twice in the last decade alone and the trajectory is likely to remain the same (Khan, et al. 2017). Majority of changes in temperature are attributed to human activities since for instance there has been a 35 percent increase in the level of greenhouse gases emission since the advent of the industrial revolution.

International Code for Ships Operating in Polar Waters

The International Maritime Organization brought into effect a new International Code for Ships Operating in Polar Waters (the Polar Code) for ships that operate in the polar waters of the Arctic regions (International Maritime Organization, 2017). Therefore, operation of MARPOL or International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) in the Arctic or the Antarctic region requires compliance with these new regulations. The Code has been developed as a supplement to the existing instruments that aim to improve the safety of the operation of the ship at sea. Moreover, it aims to mitigate the impact on the environment and the people from the vulnerable and harsh waters of the Polar Regions (International Maritime Organization 2017). It acknowledges the fact that operating on water may impose additional risks on the ships and the people operating these ships as well as the environment under which the ships operate.

The Code for shipping further acknowledges that the polar waters impose extra demands of navigation beyond the types that are normally encountered and that communities living in the coastal areas of the arctic region face risks brought about by the operations of ships and other challenges brought about by such human activities (Ragil, et al. 2015). Measures prescribed by the Code are all meant to improve the environment and the status of ship operation in the arctic region (International Maritime Organization, 2017). The Arctic and the Antarctic regions share many similarities but also have significant geographical differences and these have been taken into account in the development of the code. Therefore, the code is all-encompassing with regards to the provision of wholesome ship operation and the protection of the polar environment.

Arctic Shipping in China

The primary advantage polar shipping offers to seafarers are the reduction in the time for shipment. When using the northern sea route, ships save up to ten days to carry cargo from Asia to Europe and this saves time (Xiu et al., 2019). Whereas the rest of the world remains oblivious about the issue of climate change, China prepares both paradoxically and ominously for a hotter global climate even by a few degrees. China is envisaging a climate that is gradually and inevitably growing warmer by the day. The country remains one of the greatest emitters of greenhouse gases and this is one of the major reasons for the warming effect (Genga & Lin, 2018). So much damage has already been done that even if the world stopped emitting the gases today; the atmosphere is filled with greenhouse gases that will ensure warming effects in the years to come.

None of the efforts being done to save the environment fully compare to the damage already done. Future projections posit that a warmer world will mean the melting of the ice caps at the arctic region by 2050 (Tang, Liu and Yang 2018). In spite of the laxity exhibited by the rest of the world, China seems to be prepared for the impending changes that are about to occur in regards to global warming. The country released an Arctic Policy in which it recognizes the trans-Arctic passage as the central passage (Wang, et al. 2019). The Arctic shipping routes comprise of the central Passage, the Northeast Passage, and the Northeast Passage. China's strategy also mentions the Polar Silk Road that is normally seen as being synonymous with the Northern sea route.

Water pollution and destruction of the environment are major factors that affect the Chinese population. So much is the damage so that half of the population cannot access clean water for consumption and the majority of the rural population relies on tainted water for consumption (Gibson, 2011). The World Bank posits that the issue of water pollution in China could become catastrophic for future generations given the fact that the country relies on natural resources to feed its massive population. China is the most populated country in the world and although it is highly technologically advanced, the majority of the population relies on natural resources like rivers and the ocean to survive (Gibson, 2011). Primary components of contamination have been basic human and domestic wastes which have turned out to be toxic over the years.

Groundwater that covers more than 90 percent of the cities in China is greatly contaminated. The high demand for cheap goods from the country makes multinationals to ignore the plight of the Chinese and their need for safe environments for future posterity (Beveridge, et al. 2016). Although the economy of the country has lifted many populations out of poverty, it has also sent many more into diseases and untimely death. Villages close to industries that discharge waste into the environment have become known as the cancer villages because of the high rates of deaths related to cancer (Hreinson 2014). The marine industry has not been left behind because rampant overfishing has massively reduced the quality and the quantity of fish and has also thrown other fishermen into poverty and joblessness (Ragil, et al. 2015). Oil spills from large ships have been the source of death for the majority of the remaining aquatic life because of the nature of oil on water and how it prevents light and oxygen from penetrating into the aquatic life underneath.

Training for Seafarers in China

According to Tang, Liu, & Yang, (2018)the shipping industry performs the essential function of organic integration in a world where the spiritual culture and global material are unified. Presently, the growth of trade is slowly cooling down whereas the global economic recovery is weak. However, the contradiction between demand and supply of the global shipping market is prominent (International Maritime Organization 2017). The situation that faces the international industry of shipping is still severe. Whereas the baltic index continues to run low, major shipping companies are falling into the trap of alliances, merges, reorganization and bankruptcy (Xiu et al., 2019). All factors notwithstanding the competition in the seafar...