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The Northwest Passage has been historically sought after since the days of British North America. From the onset, the Northwest Passage was desired to create a short cut to the diverse and lucrative Asian markets; its purpose today hasn’t changed much, except for advancements in marine technology.
The Northwest Passage traverses through a large portion of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago (linking the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans), which exits to the west through the Beaufort Sea and to the east through Baffin Bay.
There are two major routes of the Northwest Passage: the northerly deeper route through Parry Channel is the safer of the two routes for commercial trans-Arctic shipping. Shallower in terms of depth, the southerly route is not feasible for commercial vessels, but was made famous by Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen who's expedition in 1905 became the first to transit the famous passage.
The Northwest Passage provides an international polar trade route for Eurasia and North America markets.
Navigable routes of the Northwest Passage
Image Credit: Wikipedia
As the Arctic climate changes and marine technology improves, the attractiveness for the Northwest Passage to be considered a viable shipping route increases.
- Northwest Passage is approximately two weeks shorter in terms of time than transiting traditional commercial shipping routes i.e., the Panama Canal for parts of Europe and North America
- Northwest Passage was navigable for approximately five weeks between August and September, 2007
- Some 62 vessels transited portions of the Northwest Passage during the 2008 season
- The southern route of the Northwest Passage became navigable for the second consecutive year during August 2008
- As of August 16, 2009 sea ice has still clogged many of the navigable shipping lanes and it seems unlikely that full transit will occur this year
Circulation patterns play a pivital role in comparison to mere sea ice melt when dictating navigable shipping routes through the Northwest Passage. Thick multi-year sea ice can infest the various channels and as result make safe passage difficult. As example, 2007 is the all-time lowest concentration of Arctic sea ice in modern history and the Northwest Passage was virtually ice-free, although in comparison the Northern Sea Route (along the coast of Siberia) was infested with sea ice.
Ice chocked Northwest Passage (August 2009) -- summer commercial navigation is assumed not viable this year.
Image Credit: National Snow and Ice Data Center -- University of Bremen
Prime Minister Harper announced on August 27, 2008 that the Canadian government will require mandatory registration for all Arctic-bound vessels through the NORDREG maritime traffic system. The NORDREG system (operated by the Canadian Coast Guard) monitors marine traffic in Canada's North -- a voluntary reporting policy is presently in place.
Additionally, Prime Minister Harper elaborated that the shift in enforcement regulations includes an environmental dimension (Arctic Waters Pollution Prevention Act). Simply put, the Arctic Waters Pollution Prevention Act (1970) is designed to protect the Arctic region from the harmful effects to wildlife, society and the environment resulting from the dumping of pollutants. Extending the current range of enforcement from 100 nautical miles to 200 in relation to Canadian soil is being proposed and will mirror similar recommendations for NORDREG as well.
The act to amend the Arctic Waters Pollution Prevention Act received royal assent on June 11/09.
Prime Minister Harper's proposed shipping and environmental amendments will likely see Canada extend greater control over the Northwest Passage. | 
