From the U.S. Government Accountability Office, www.gao.gov

Transcript for: Arctic Maritime Shipping

Description: Sea ice in the Arctic Ocean has been shrinking, and there's
been more shipping in the Arctic since 2009. Andrew Von Ah joins the
Watchdog Report to talk about the federal role in Arctic shipping.

Related GAO Work: GAO-20-460, Maritime Infrastructure: A Strategic
Approach and Interagency Leadership Could Improve Federal Efforts in the
U.S. Arctic

Released: April 2020

[ Intro Music ]

[Andrew Von Ah:] Developing infrastructure of any kind in the Arctic is
expensive and really shouldn't be done without careful analysis and
planning.

[Matt Oldham:] Welcome to GAO's Watchdog Report, your source for news
and information from the U.S. Government Accountability Office. I'm Matt
Oldham.

[ Music ]

[Matt Oldham:] Arctic sea ice is shrinking. This extends the navigation
season the areas surrounding the North Pole. And U.S. shipping in the
Arctic Ocean has increased since 2009. Andrew Von Ah, a Physical
Infrastructure director at GAO is with me to talk about a report on
federal efforts related to shipping in the Arctic. Thanks for joining
me, Andrew. 

[Andrew Von Ah:] Thanks for having me, Matt. Appreciate it. 

[Matt Oldham:] So, shipping in the Arctic. Is this the sort of
commercial shipping that brings goods to our ports? 

[Andrew Von Ah:] Well, it's still goods moving in and out of the area,
but it is quite different than the commercial shipping we generally
think of. Usually we think of huge container ships moving consumer goods
in and out of U.S. ports. But in the U.S. Arctic, in and around Alaska,
the population is certainly sparse. So, there's less of this kind of
shipping. Much of the commercial activity in the U.S. Arctic involves,
or the Arctic in general, involves natural resources. There's large
reserves of oil, natural gas, and minerals. And as the region warms due
to climate change, both the extraction of those resources, and the
shipping of those materials over water becomes more accessible. The
Arctic is also a very treacherous place for shipping compared to the
more established routes and ports. For one, Arctic shipping is only
possible for part of the year, as you mentioned, due to ice, typically
June to October, and involves vast distances, unpredictable weather
conditions, and things like that. So, and furthermore, there's, you
know, very little maritime infrastructure to support shipping. So, the
area lacks robust communications. There's no deep draft port up there.
And charting of the waterways is not comprehensive.

[Matt Oldham:] So then, what's the federal role here, Andrew?

[Andrew Von Ah:] Several agencies have roles to play in the Arctic. The
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, for example, charts
waters for navigation. The U.S. Coast Guard serves a variety of
functions. Search and Rescue, ensuring security of the waterways, among
other things. And there are also national security interests in the
region. And certainly a federal interest in the environmental
stewardship of this fragile Arctic ecosystem.

[ Music ]

[Matt Oldham:] So, it sounds like much of the shipping in the Arctic is
tied to natural resources like oil and gas exploration. And its extreme
weather and large distances makes it a particularly dangerous body of
water. Andrew, you had mentioned Coast Guard, NOAA. Are there any
challenges they're facing in their federal role?

[Andrew Von Ah:] Absolutely. And one of the big challenges that, you
know, although traffic has increased in the Arctic over the past decade,
the infrastructure to support that traffic has really not significantly
changed. So, you know, as a result, that vessel traffic poses a range of
risks; safety risks to vessels and crews, environmental risks to the
region. And this is, these risks are really exacerbated by the lack of
infrastructure and the harsh conditions in the Arctic. Because so many
agencies are involved in the region, each of these agencies has no
shortage of other priorities in other parts of the world, so it can be
really difficult for agencies to allocate resources to make
infrastructure improvements in the Arctic. And that's made even more
difficult because there's really no clear picture of what the
government-wide priorities are in the region.

[Matt Oldham:] So, what could they do to improve things?

[Andrew Von Ah:] So, our report made a couple of recommendations. One is
for the government to really delve into analyzing the risks posed by the
gaps in maritime infrastructure in the Arctic. This would involve
examining the likelihood of adverse effects occurring, vulnerability to
damage, potential consequences, things of that nature. We also
recommended that appropriate entities within the White House develop a
strategy for addressing U.S. Arctic maritime infrastructure that
includes, among other things, the appropriate responses to these risks.

[Matt Oldham:] So, last question. What's the bottom line here, Andrew?

[Andrew Von Ah:] Well, the bottom line is, you know, really the Arctic
is a changing region. As weather patterns change and Arctic shipping
opportunities increase, you know, traffic in the region may also
increase. And that poses a number of risks, you know, many of which
relate to the gaps in maritime infrastructure, and can increase the
likelihood of severe damage, such as loss of life or oil spillage. So,
nonetheless, developing infrastructure of any kind in the Arctic is
expensive and really shouldn't be done without careful analysis and
planning. And our report, in essence, is really arguing for that careful
analysis planning.

[Matt Oldham:] Andrew Von Ah was talking about a GAO report on
approaches to improve federal efforts in U.S. Arctic maritime shipping.
Thank you for your time, Andrew.

[Andrew Von Ah:] Thank you very much, Matt.

[Matt Oldham:] And thank you for listening to the Watchdog Report. To
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For more from the Congressional Watchdog, the U.S. Government
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[ Music ]