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43 J. Mar. L. & Com. 521 (2012)
A New Mediterranean: Arctic Shipping Prospects for the 21st Century

handle is hein.journals/jmlc43 and id is 531 raw text is: Journal of Maritime Law & Commerce, Vol. 43, No. 4. October, 2012 A New Mediterranean? Arctic Shipping Prospects. for the 21st Century Adam Lajeunesse* In 1921, Vilhjalmur Stefansson famously predicted that the Arctic would soon become a region of great strategic and commercial importance. Crisscrossed by the air and sea traffic of many nations, the region was to be the Mediterranean of the modem age.' While Stefansson's prediction was certainly premature, recent economic and environmental developments sug- gest that a sea change may finally be taking place. The well documented melting of the region's sea-ice and the rush of tourist, oil and resource com- panies into the area have together created the potential for a radical increase in maritime activity, with all the consequences and opportunities that will go with it. Yet despite these changes, the more modem prophecies of an Arctic Mediterranean remain premature. Rather than a flood of international ship- ping seeking a shortcut through the Arctic, the next ten to twenty years will likely see an explosion of destinational traffic. This new traffic will be led by the tourism, oil, and mining industries which have all shown a new and sustained interest in the Canadian Arctic. And, given the investment which has already taken place, it is likely that this traffic will increase exponen- tially in the near future. This increased activity carries with it both risks and opportunities for Canada. If the country is to be prepared for, and benefit from, future traffic it will have to invest strategically in many of the areas which it has deferred for decades. These investments will have to range from improved hydro- graphic mapping, search and rescue resources, navigational aids and ice- breaking and forecasting services to surveillance and law enforcement capa- bilities. Changes in policy and regulation will also have to be designed to *Adam Lajuenesse is a PhD student at the university of Calgary. He completed his B.A. at Carlton University in Ottawa and his Masters at the University of Calgary. His research deals with the history of Canadian government policy over the Arctic waters with a focus on the evolution of the Canadian sover- eignty claims. His acadesnic interests also include contemporary issues in Arctic economic development, transportation, and security. 'Vilhjalmur Stefansson. The Friendly Arctic: The Stor' of Five Years in Polar Regions (MacMillan. 1921).

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