Abstract
There are extant international environmental laws against the harmful impact of Arctic shipping that are been relaxed on the
basis of explorable mutual benefits that actors utilize as loophole to the enforcement of international environmental laws. This
research found that increased shipping could have major environmental impacts on the Arctic’s marine but that on the basis of the agreement on the reduction of emissions at the
COP26, shipping through the Arctic is concocted to be a step towards emissions reduction as time and energy are saved. The
study revealed that because of the right of transit passage, Arctic shipping tend to thrive as the mutual benefit for shipping lines
and coastal States. While the former saves more time and energy in voyage, the later benefits from levies on transit through its
waters. The research work concluded that as global populations, economies and maritime trade continue to grow, Arctic Sea ice coverage is expected to decline for increased Arctic ship traffic which will eventually lead to adverse environmental impacts over the next few decades. This work recommended that protected areas for Arctic marine life should be established and an Arcticspecific treaty should be passed to tackle Arctic-specific
environmental harms.
Key words: Arctic, Arctic Shipping, International Environmental Law, and Mutual Benefits.
