The Polar Code: which ships it covers, the PWOM, the Polar Ship Certificate and what changed in 2026

Polar waters means Arctic waters and/or the Antarctic area. The Antarctic area is the sea south of latitude 60°S. Arctic waters are the waters north of a line set out point by point in SOLAS regulation XIV/1.3, reaching as far south as 58°N, south of Greenland.

• Category A: designed for operation in polar waters in at least medium first-year ice, which may include old ice inclusions.
• Category B: not category A; designed for at least thin first-year ice, which may include old ice inclusions.
• Category C: designed for open water or ice conditions less severe than categories A and B.

Ships intended to operate where the lowest mean daily low temperature is below −10°C get a Polar Service Temperature, at least 10°C below that lowest temperature, at which required systems and equipment must fully work.

Sources: IMO, resolution MSC.386(94) (regulation XIV/1) and resolution MSC.385(94) (Polar Code, part I-A and introduction); read on 13 November 2026.

1. Every ship to which the safety part applies must carry a valid Polar Ship Certificate.
2. It is issued after an initial or renewal survey, by the Administration or a recognized organization, and its validity, survey dates and endorsements are harmonized with the ship’s SOLAS certificates. A supplement records the equipment the Code requires.
3. The certificate states the ship’s category (A, B or C), ice class and draughts, any Polar Service Temperature, the maximum expected time of rescue, and its operational limitations for ice conditions, temperature and high latitudes.
4. Category C cargo ships that need no extra equipment or structural change can be certified on documented verification, with an on-board survey at the next scheduled survey.
5. Before certification, an operational assessment looks at the expected conditions (low air temperature, ice, high latitude, abandonment onto ice or land) and the hazards, to set procedures and operational limitations.
6. Where applicable, the certificate references a methodology for assessing operational capabilities and limitations in ice. IMO guidance MSC.1/Circ.1519 (2016) outlines one such method, POLARIS.

Sources: IMO, resolution MSC.385(94) (Polar Code sections 1.3 and 1.5) and IMO news, 30 November 2020 (POLARIS); read on 13 November 2026.

Chapter 2 of the Polar Code requires the PWOM to be carried on board. Its goal is to give the owner, operator, master and crew enough information on the ship’s operational capabilities and limitations to support their decisions. It must include or refer to:

• the ship-specific capabilities and limitations found in the operational assessment, including, where applicable, the methodology used for capabilities and limitations in ice;
• procedures for normal operations and for avoiding conditions beyond the ship’s capabilities;
• procedures for incidents in polar waters;
• procedures if conditions exceed the ship’s capabilities and limitations; and
• procedures for icebreaker assistance, as applicable.

Source: IMO, resolution MSC.385(94) (Polar Code chapter 2; a model PWOM table of contents is in appendix II); read on 13 November 2026.

Amendments to SOLAS chapter XIV (MSC.532(107)) and the Polar Code (MSC.538(107)), adopted on 8 June 2023, entered into force on 1 January 2026. They apply on all voyages in the Antarctic area and on voyages in Arctic waters beyond the flag State’s own territorial sea. In outline:

• Chapter 9-1, safety of navigation: means to receive and display current ice information; ice-strengthened ships built on or after 1 January 2026 need two independent echo-sounders (or one with two separate transducers); a clear view astern; protection of antennas from ice accretion; two independent non-magnetic heading sources on ships of 500 GT and over; a GNSS compass or equivalent for voyages above 80° latitude; and two means of illumination to detect ice, unless operating only in 24-hour daylight.
• Chapter 11-1, voyage planning: the master plans a route that takes account of ice and iceberg information, past ice and temperature statistics, places of refuge, marine mammals, protected areas, hydrographic limits and the distance from search and rescue.

Sources: IMO, resolution MSC.532(107) and resolution MSC.538(107) (PDF); read on 13 November 2026. Paraphrased; the Administration may decide how far some of chapter 9-1 applies to fishing vessels and to small ships not on international voyages.

• Oil: any discharge into the sea of oil or oily mixtures from any ship is prohibited in Arctic waters (clean or segregated ballast excepted).
• Sewage and garbage: part II-A adds polar limits; for example, food waste may not be discharged onto the ice, and animal carcasses may not be discharged.
• Heavy fuel oil, Arctic: MARPOL Annex I regulation 43A (resolution MEPC.329(76), in force 1 November 2022) bans the use and carriage for use as fuel of heavy fuel oil in Arctic waters from 1 July 2024. Ships with protected fuel tanks (Annex I regulation 12A or Polar Code part II-A 1.2.1) have until 1 July 2029, and Arctic coastal States may temporarily waive the ban for their own ships in their own waters, but no waiver applies on or after 1 July 2029.
• Heavy oil, Antarctic: banned under MARPOL Annex I regulation 43 since 1 August 2011.

Sources: IMO, resolution MEPC.264(68) (Polar Code part II-A), resolution MEPC.329(76) (PDF) and Shipping in polar waters; read on 13 November 2026.

Chapter 12 of the Polar Code requires companies to ensure that masters, chief mates and officers in charge of a navigational watch on ships in polar waters have completed training appropriate to their duties, taking the STCW Convention and Code into account. Minimum training and qualification requirements for masters and deck officers became mandatory under STCW from 1 July 2018.

Source: IMO, Shipping in polar waters; read on 13 November 2026. See also the STCW comprehensive review.