Defining "Polar Regions"

The Exxon Valdez disaster was an impetus for the polar code. Apparently it was initially expected that the ports of Anchorage and Valdez were to be included in the definition of “Polar Waters” by the Polar Code. Valdez is considered to be an ice-free port but it was undeniable a causal factor in the grounding of the Exxon Valdez,

This is a photo I took from the bridge wing of one of SeaLand’s D-7s in the Port of Anchorage. By the date on the back it might have been early spring.

This photo is from the one trip I made to the Arctic.


Don’t recall who took the photo.

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The photo taken in Anchorage in early spring looks not much different than one taken on the Frazer River at the same time.

QUOTE :
Ultimately, the Exxon Valdez spill resulted in a close examination of the status of oil spill prevention, response, and cleanup in the United States. One result was the passage of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, which led to the establishment of NOAA’s DARRP program.
END QUOTE.

SOURCE: NOOA : Damage Assessment, Remediation, and Restoration Program

“The roots of the Polar Code (PC) process can be traced back to the 1991 German proposals to the IMO Marine Safety Committee in the wake of the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster.”

From here: The Polar Code Process…

That map is from 2011. With SOLAS and other regulatory bodies, it is important to find the most recent source, as various codes get updated. Here is the most recent verbiage from SOLAS Chapter IV (Because of what I do for a living, I have a subscription to vairous updated documents through Witherby.):

Regulation 1
Definitions

For the purpose of this chapter:

1 Polar Code means the International Code for Ships Operating in Polar Waters, consisting of an introduction
and parts I-A and II-A and parts I-B and II-B, as adopted by resolutions MSC.385(94) and of the Marine
Environment Protection Committee,* as may be amended, provided that:

  .1 amendments to the safety-related provisions of the introduction and part I-A of the Polar Code are
         adopted, brought into force and take effect in accordance with the provisions of article VIII of the
         present Convention concerning the amendment procedures applicable to the annex other than
         chapter I; and

  .2 amendments to part I-B of the Polar Code are adopted by the Maritime Safety Committee in
         accordance with its Rules of Procedure.

2 Antarctic area means the sea area south of latitude 60° S.

3 Arctic waters means those waters which are located north of a line from the latitude 58°00’.0 N
and longitude 042°00’.0 W to latitude 64°37’.0 N, longitude 035°27’.0 W and thence by a rhumb line to
latitude 67°03’.9 N, longitude 026°33’.4 W and thence by a rhumb line to the latitude 70°49’.56 N and
longitude 008°59’.61 W (Sørkapp, Jan Mayen) and by the southern shore of Jan Mayen to 73°31’.6 N and
019°01’.0 E by the Island of Bjørnøya, and thence by a great circle line to the latitude 68°38’.29 N and
longitude 043°23’.08 E (Cap Kanin Nos) and hence by the northern shore of the Asian Continent eastward to
the Bering Strait and thence from the Bering Strait westward to latitude 60° N as far as Il’pyrskiy and following
the 60th North parallel eastward as far as and including Etolin Strait and thence by the northern shore of the
North American continent as far south as latitude 60° N and thence eastward along parallel of latitude 60° N,
to longitude 056°37’.1 W and thence to the latitude 58°00’.0 N, longitude 042°00’.0 W.

4 Polar waters means Arctic waters and/or the Antarctic area.

If your read thought the above, it is clear that the earlier posted chartlet is correct, and that neither Anchorage no Valdez are within the boundaries of areas required to follow the Polar Code. In fatc, I rarely see Ice Class vessels in Cook Inlet, and have never seen one in Valdez.

CaptStash…

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The name Stash is primarily a male name of American origin that means Sun’s Rays.

It explains everything regarding non freezing waters in Prince William Sound.

My first reaction seeing your alias was to greet You " jak się masz Stachu or Stasiu " :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye: - does it ring a bell may be ???

but then i have reconsidered and have done some research .

You may be close. It’s from my family name, which derived from a Polish town named Stashov. The story goes that my ancestors moved to Stashov to avoid pogroms in the 19th century. When they returned to their shtetl they became known as the Stashovs…

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Here’s an article arguing that the Okhotsk Sea should be considered part of the Arctic for the purpose of the Polar Code.

Based on max ice extent:

During the development of the Polar Code some delegations have noted that ice is often not present in many parts of the Arctic, including in the area north of 60 degrees North.

However, in the Pacific Ocean ice extends well below 60 degrees North latitude (see figure
3). Seasonal ice, including massive ice floes, can be present in the Sea of Okhotsk, along Sakhalin Island, Russia, and even to Hokkaido,