IMO approves Bering Strait shipping proposal

The International Maritime Organisation has approved a joint US–Russian proposal to regulate shipping in the Bering Strait.

The proposal aims to reduce the risks of collision at sea by demarking six two-way routes across the Bering Strait to help ships avoid the numerous shoals, reefs and islands in the region.

Reduced sea ice due to changing climate is opening new trade routes, and both the US and Russia have observed a steady increase in Arctic shipping activity over the last 10 years.