Piloting Arctic Waters And Other Major Shifts In Navigation John Konrad Total Views: 86 January 9, 2011 The following article by  CDR Michael Hendersen, Navigation Manager NOAA was originally published in the December 2010 edition of CAMM , Council Of American Master Mariners , magazine Sidelights. Click HERE to read the full issue of the magazine, including exclusive content by gCaptain’s founder, free online. The maritime industry is preparing for major shifts in navigation, due to the improvements at the Panama Canal. For a longer view of maritime changes, the world is looking northward as well. The last thirty years have seen a signif- icant retreat in Arctic sea ice, currently allowing for over a month of navigable water through the Arctic Ocean. As Arctic ice recedes, countries are look- ing forward to faster sea routes across the top of the world. A transit between Vladivostok and Rotterdam, using the northern route, can save approxi- mately 10 days and $300,000 per ship. Alternately, the voyage is nearly 11,000 nautical miles through the Pacific, Indian, and Atlantic Oceans – including transits through the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean Sea. The reductions in ice coverage, seen over longer periods, have resulted in a doubling of vessel traffic in the Arctic since 2005. Mounting cargo demands, emerging resource development, and the growing popularity of ecotourism add to burgeoning interest in the region. NOAA is working now, on several fronts, for the new era of Arctic naviga- tion. U.S. joins Arctic Regional Hydrographic Commission On October 6, 2010, NOAA led a U.S. delegation that formally established a new Arctic Regional Hydrographic Commission with four other nations. The commission, which also includes Canada, Denmark, Norway, and the Russian Federation, will promote coop- eration in hydrographic surveying and nautical chart making. The problem is that many Arctic nau- tical charts are out of date or nonexistent. Inadequate charts pose a signif