An Orchestrated Governance Approach: Tracing the International Maritime Organization’s Development and Adoption of the Polar Code

Abstract

The increase in Arctic maritime traffic induced by climate change has prompted the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to develop and adopt the International Code for Ships Operating in Polar Waters (Polar Code). While previous research on the governance of the IMO in the Arctic has addressed topics such as plastic waste management, the normative influence of international bureaucracies, and the implementation of the Polar Code from state and industrial perspectives, no study has specifically applied the concept of orchestration to Arctic maritime shipping and the development and adoption of the Polar Code. This paper seeks to fill this gap by using orchestration as an analytical framework to examine how the IMO orchestrated the development and adoption of the Polar Code, especially in response to climate-induced challenges. The analysis draws on documents from the IMO and Arctic Council (AC), along with previous research on Arctic shipping. Qualitative discourse analysis and process tracing are used to explore the data. Findings suggest that the IMO’s orchestration was facilitated by its recognised leadership in maritime governance, but was constrained by capability deficits in Arctic-specific issues. The organization navigated divergent stakeholder interests and sovereignty concerns by engaging the AC and Arctic states as key intermediaries. Orchestration enabled the creation of a comprehensive regulatory framework balancing safety, environmental protection, and commercial interests. However, the article also reveals limitations in addressing critical issues such as the use of heavy fuel oil. These findings contribute to the array of empirical evidence on transnational environmental governance and the evolving regulatory landscape in polar regions.