A preliminary study for future shipping safety control regime in the ice-infested waters of the sea of Okhotsk

摘要

In consequence of the current development of the oil-gas resources at the northern continental shelf of the Sakhalin Island and associated economical growth, a considerable increase of winter shipping activities in the southern part of the Sea of Okhotsk is expected to take place in the beginning of the 21st century. Therefore it seems of vital importance for Japan to prepare a range of measures to avoid ice hazards and secure the shipping safety and pollution prevention for the waters of this region which are so rich in various marine resources. Historically, shipping control systems / regimes for ice-infested waters have been evolved gradually depending on local societies' needs and natural settings in some northern countries such as Canada, Russia and northern Baltic nations. A survey on these existing systems has been undertaken in order to pave a way for conceiving an appropriate system for the southern waters of in the Sea of Okhotsk. At the same time a brief survey was carried out on the present state of knowledge with regard to the morphology and physical characteristics of sea ice cover and associated natural settings in the Sea of Okhotsk, thereby illuminating possible shipping incidents scenarios due to ice hadzards.