Arctic Ship Traffic Hits Record High in 2025 as Resource Projects Drive Growth

Ship traffic in the Arctic reached a new milestone in 2025, with 1,812 unique vessels operating inside the Polar Code area, according to new data released by the Arctic Council Working Group on the Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment (PAME). The figures mark a 40% increase from 2013, when PAME began tracking traffic through its Arctic Ship Traffic Data (ASTD) system.

The growth underscores how rapidly the Arctic is transforming into an active commercial maritime zone. While the first modern commercial voyages along Russia’s Northern Sea Route began only in 2009, shipping activity has accelerated alongside expanding oil, gas, mining, and fishing operations.

PAME’s data shows not just more ships but more activity per ship. Total sailing distance in the Arctic rose 95%, from 6.1 million nautical miles in 2013 to 11.9 million in 2025. Vessels are increasingly making repeated voyages within a year, particularly along Russia’s Arctic coast and in mining supply chains.

Traffic remains highly seasonal. Shipping peaks during August through October when sea ice reaches its annual minimum. In September 2025 alone, PAME recorded 1,060 vessels entering the Arctic, representing 58% of total annual traffic.

Fishing vessels still dominate Arctic activity, entering primarily from the Bering Sea and Barents Sea. General cargo ships form the second-largest category, carrying supplies into remote communities or transporting materials for industrial projects such as Vostok Oil and Arctic LNG 2, which required millions of tons of construction materials since construction began in 2022.

The fastest-growing category has been crude oil tankers, which have quadrupled over the past 12 years, sometimes including vessels without ice-class protection, raising concerns among environmental groups. 

LNG shipping has also expanded dramatically. Before late 2017, no LNG traffic was recorded in Russia’s Arctic waters. In 2025, 40 distinct LNG carriers operated in the Polar Code area, many supporting projects like Yamal LNG, whose specialized icebreaking tankers now deliver gas year-round to Europe and Asia.

Hjalti Hreinsson, Deputy Secretary at PAME and administrator of the ASTD system, said natural resource extraction remains the main driver. “Compared to other marine regions, the Arctic still has relatively few ships, so even a handful of large industrial projects can significantly shift the statistics,” he noted.

One example is Canada’s Mary River Mine, which began production in 2015 at one of the world’s richest iron ore deposits. Since then, bulk carrier traffic into Baffin Bay has surged manyfold, with ships logging over 130,000 nautical miles in 2025 alone hauling ore and supplies.

Despite overall growth, traffic along Russia’s Northern Sea Route has plateaued recently as Western sanctions complicate financing, shipbuilding, and insurance for Russian energy projects. Construction delays and restricted access to specialized vessels have slowed some planned expansions, limiting growth in Russia’s Arctic basin even as global Arctic activity rises.

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