The United States and Russia have proposed a series of international shipping routes to guide ships through the Bering Strait amid a surge in Arctic traffic, the U.S. Coast Guard said in a statement.
"The nations jointly developed and submitted the proposal to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to establish six two-way routes and six precautionary areas," the statement said.
The initiative was born from the observation of an increase in traffic on the coasts of both Alaska (USA) and the Chukotka Peninsula (Russia).
"Over the past decade, the U.S. and Russia have seen a steady increase in Arctic shipping activity," said Chief of the U.S. Coast Guard's Navigation Standards Division Mike Sollosi.
According to the statement published on the institutional website, the increase in commercial and recreational traffic brings with it a greater risk of maritime casualties and the bilateral proposal for these new routes is designed to reduce that risk.
The proposed two-way routes will be voluntary for all national and international vessels.
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