No-Go Zones and Lanes for Shipping

An aerial view of tankers sailing on a frozen sea.
Stock Factory / Adobe Stock

Why Set Up No-Go Zones and Lanes for Commercial Ships?

No-go zones help ships steer clear of dangerous waters and important marine habitat. These waters are officially called “Areas to be Avoided” or ATBAs.

Three new ATBAs were set up around islands in the Bering Strait region in 2018.

Two-way shipping routes through the Bering Strait help prevent accidents by encouraging ships to travel through well-charted waters offshore.

A "Road End" sign at the edge of the Bering Sea pack ice, Nome, Alaska.
WorldFoto

An Important Natural Resource

One of these Areas to be Avoided is located near St. Lawrence Island which is home to about 1,300 Siberian Yupik people in two communities.

For generations, community members have hunted walrus, whales, seals and other marine mammals as part of their subsistence way of life.

A Bowhead whale skull and the town of Gambell on St. Lawrence Island, Alaska.
LOETSCHER CHLAUS

The waters surrounding St. Lawrence Island support a spectacular array of marine mammals and seabirds.

Off the island’s southern coast, a polynya, or area of open water surrounded by sea ice, provides important winter habitat for this wildlife.

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Crested Auklets are abundant on parts of St. Lawrence Island.
Ariy Kamen

A bowhead whale plume in the distance.
Steven Kazlowski

Thick-billed Murres, a common seabird in the Bering Strait region, have recently experienced a dramatic decline.
James Urbach

Large numbers of shorebirds migrate here in spring.
Steven Kazlowski

A mother and baby beluga.
Steven Kazlowski

Pacific Loons nest in ponds in the Bering Strait region.
Tom Ingram

Walrus rest on the sea ice.
Nat Geo Image Collection

Subsistence hunting is an important part of island life.
Accent Alaska

A ringed seal on an ice floe.
Hemis

Crested Auklets are abundant on parts of St. Lawrence Island.
Photo By: Ariy Kamen

A bowhead whale plume in the distance.
Photo By: Steven Kazlowski

Thick-billed Murres, a common seabird in the Bering Strait region, have recently experienced a dramatic decline.
Photo By: James Urbach

Large numbers of shorebirds migrate here in spring.
Photo By: Steven Kazlowski

A mother and baby beluga.
Photo By: Steven Kazlowski

Pacific Loons nest in ponds in the Bering Strait region.
Photo By: Tom Ingram

Walrus rest on the sea ice.
Photo By: Nat Geo Image Collection

Subsistence hunting is an important part of island life.
Photo By: Accent Alaska

A ringed seal on an ice floe.
Photo By: Hemis

Three New No-Go Zones

In light of increasing vessel traffic in this region, the International Maritime Organization established ATBAs to help ships avoid dangerous coastlines and shallow waters, protect marine wildlife from impacts associated with large vessels, and help ensure local residents can pursue subsistence hunting and fishing without interference from large commercial ships.

Inupiaq whalers drive a skiff through an open lead in the pack ice during spring whaling season Chukchi Sea.
Steven Kazlowski

Why Set Up Shipping Lanes?

Two-way vessel traffic routes, also called routing measures, promote marine safety by avoiding dangerous waters, lessening the chance of oil spills or other accidents.

Without designated lanes, ships could wander into critical habitat used by marine mammals and seabirds, causing environmental impacts.