The number of ships operating in the Arctic reached a record high in 2025, according to new data released by the Arctic Council Working Group on the Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment (PAME).
In 2025, 1812 unique ships entered the Arctic Polar Code area. This is a 40% increase from 2013 when data collection began. The term unique ships refers to each ship only counted once, although many ships enter the area multiple times each year.
The Working Group has been tracking Arctic shipping traffic trends since 2013 utilizing its Arctic Ship Traffic Data (ASTD) System.
Comparing 2013 to 2025, the distance sailed by ships in the Arctic Polar Code Area increased 95%, from 6.1 million to 11.9 million nautical miles. The distance represents the aggregate sailed for each ship in nautical miles.
The number of unique ships entering the Arctic Polar Code area is generally highest in the month of September, when Arctic sea ice is at its lowest extent.
In September 2025,1060 ships entered the Polar Code area out of the total 1812 ships that entered the entire year, amounting to 58% of traffic.
Fishing vessels are the most common type of ship in the Arctic, representing 40% of all ships that entered the Arctic Polar Code area. The second most common ship type is general cargo ships.
Between 2013 and 2025, the ship type that saw the greatest increase in the Arctic was crude oil tankers, which saw a 396% increase over the 12 years. The second greatest increase was bulk carriers with 156% more in 2025 than in 2013. Cruise ships have also increased significantly, with 123% more cruise ships in 2025 than in 2013.
Changes to the marine environment, such as a decrease in the extent of sea ice and the loss of older, thick ice, have significant implications for longer navigation seasons and new access to previously difficult to reach regions of the Arctic.
“Several reasons contribute to the increase in Arctic shipping,” said Hjalti Hreinsson, deputy secretary at PAME who administers the ASTD System. “One of them, and perhaps the most prominent one, is an increase in natural resource extraction. Compared to other marine areas worldwide, there aren’t that many ships in the Arctic, and new projects will strongly impact statistics.”
PAME uses data from the ASTD System to conduct analyses and reports related to Arctic shipping.
“We are producing more reports. The next one will be on smaller vessels in the Arctic, and we are also developing reports on cruise and passenger ships in the Arctic, fishing vessels, which is by far the most common ship type in the Arctic, and we are also partnering with expert from France to develop a report on accidents by ships in the Arctic,” Hjalti added.
Soon, a major update for the ASTD will include detailed statistics and information for around 500 ports in the Arctic, which will contribute to a comprehensive assessment of ship traffic in Arctic ports going forward. Another major forthcoming update will allow for users to see where ships come from to the Arctic. “Users will be able to see the last port of entry before a ship enters the Arctic area, that will open up for some new opportunities.”
