Next stop, Nuuk. © 2008, Princess Cruises

Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The breakup of Arctic pack ice due to global warming means an increasing number of icebergs drift into sea lanes in the North Atlantic, and 2009 was the eleventh most severe  in that respect since 1912, the year the Titanic sank after colliding with an iceberg.

An growing number of ships are venturing into seas at latitudes and in months that were impossible before. This increases the risks and the opportunities to shipping, and the need for up-to-date information and well-trained crews, according to a report by the International Ice Charting Working Group (IICWG) which met in Geneva at the World Meterological Organization 12-16 October.

Among the events the IICWG points out in its report:

• in 2009, 1,200 icebergs and floes drifted into sea lanes
• heavy-lift ships successfully crossed the Northeast Passage from Korea to Noviy Port in Russia on what may become a commercial route, cuttting thousands of kilometers off the traditional route.
• the cititzens of Nuuk, Greenland welcomed the 4000 passengers of the Crown Princess into their port; it was the first time a pleasure craft of such a size had ever ventured so far north.

The IICWG, formed in 1999, brings together the ice services of Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Germany, Norway, Russia, Sweden, United States and the International Ice Patrol.

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