In response to increased Arctic shipping traffic, the United States and the Russian Federation have proposed a system of two-way routes for vessels to follow in the Bering Strait and Bering Sea. This was reported from US Coast Guard HQ in Washington at the end of January.

The two nations jointly developed and submitted the proposal to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to establish six two-way routes and six precautionary areas.

Located in US and Russian Federation territorial waters off the coasts of Alaska and the Chukotskiy Peninsula, the routes are being recommended to help ships avoid the numerous shoals, reefs and islands outside the routes and to reduce the potential for marine casualties and environmental disasters.