The President of the Nautical Institute, the worldwide representative organisation for maritime professionals has told its Irish branch that reality must be separated from the myths about shipping using Polar waters writes Tom MacSweeney.

Capt. David (Duke) Snider from Canada has written the Institute's book on ice navigation 'Polar Ship Operations'. He told Institute members at a meeting in the National Maritime College in Cork that the vast majority of operators in Polar waters had a lot of experience and were "long-term" players in the region.

It was a myth that "wild cowboys" of shipping were "roaring through the Arctic polluting and destroying the environment". He said that global climate change had opened up the Arctic. Change was visual and real.

The Polar Code has been introduced by the International Maritime Organisation. It did not have everything in it that everyone wanted but it was a start and more work was necessary and would be done on it.

#NauticalInstitute – On 17th June in Sydney, Australia the Annual General Meeting of the Nautical Institute will elect Captain Robert Mc Cabe to the Presidency of the Institute for a two year term.

The Nautical Institute is the international representative body for maritime professionals involved in the control of sea-going ships and is a non-governmental organisation (NGO) with consultative status at the International Maritime Organisation (IMO). The Institute has 6,500 members worldwide across 110 countries. The Sydney Branch will host the international Annual General Meeting of the Institute on 17th June at the Maritime Museum in Darling Harbour as part of a conference on Navigational Competence.

Captain Mc Cabe is a career long member of the Institute, a former Chairman of the Institute's Technical Committee and a frequent contributor to international conferences particularly on e-Navigation and user needs issues.

An Irish Master Mariner, Captain Mc Cabe is presently Director of Operations and Navigation Services at the Commissioners of Irish Lights and previously served with Irish Shipping Ltd.

Welcoming the election of an Ireland Branch member to the highest office of the Institute, Branch Chairman Deirdre Lane said: "The primary focus of the Nautical Institute is to raise international standards of competence and education across the marine industry. Robert Mc Cabe has shown significant leadership in the Ireland Branch and internationally and we look forward to his term as President as an opportunity to further advance the Institute's aims".