International Law Issues In The Treatment Of Oil Pollution From Ships In The Arctic Waters

It is an indisputable fact that the global warming and the melting of sea ice at the two poles,and the temperature rise and the melting of sea ice at the two poles are still continuing.At present,the sea ice cover in the Arctic sea area in winter only reaches the level of summer 35 years ago,and a seasonal ice free year may occur in the Arctic in 2040-2060.In this context of climate change,the most direct consequences are extension of navigation period of Arctic Routes.The navigable period of the northwest Route has been extended from March to September,and with the reduction of the permanent frozen area of the polar region,the passage through the polar region is likely to be used for shipping in the future;and with the normalization of the commercial navigation of the northwest Route and the Northeast Route,the passage of ships will inevitably produce ship oil pollution.However,the Arctic sea environment is very special,and the cost of ship oil pollution control is high and difficult.Therefore,the oil pollution caused by ships in the Arctic sea area and the problem of ship oil pollution control gradually get the common attention of the international community.The legal status of the Arctic sea area in the international law has not been determined.In this context,the current status of oil pollution control in the sea area is controversial.However,because the international convention cannot meet the requirements of protecting the special sea area,Article 234 of UNCLOS grants coastal states the right to exercise unilateral control to make up for the actual deficiencies.Nevertheless,due to the different interpretations of the article,and the rights and interests of coastal States and other countries that leads to the dilemma of the governance of the sea area in practice.Among them,it seems to be the problem of Routes regulation,the essence of which is the fight for jurisdiction in the Arctic sea area,and it seems to be the problem of ship oil pollution control.In fact,it is a comprehensive problem to clarify multiple interests.China will give full play to its own advantages and participate more effectively in the governance of ship oil pollution in the Arctic sea area,and China will contribute our wisdom and strength to the sustainable development of the Arctic sea area.