MSC commits to avoiding Arctic route, citing environmental concerns

MSC has reaffirmed its commitment to avoid considering the Northern Sea Route, including the Northeast and Northwest Passages on environmental grounds.

According to the carrier, an expansion of Arctic shipping could increase the emissions of so-called black carbon – physical particles of unburned carbon which can settle on land or ice, as well as compromising air quality and accelerating the shrinkage of Arctic sea ice.

The route also exacerbates risks of navigation incidents, fuel spills, air quality and altering the ecological balance / biodiversity of the marine habitat beneath the surface of the sea, it added.