The Arctic This Week Take Five: Week of 9 February, 2026
NATO Launches Arctic Sentry Mission to Enhance Regional Presence
High North News reported on February 11 that NATO announced the Arctic Sentry mission to enhance Alliance presence in the Arctic and High North. The multi-domain activity will be led by Joint Force Command Norfolk and coordinate allies’ increasing activities in the region, including Denmark’s Arctic Endurance exercises and Norway’s Cold Response exercise. The announcement follows the January meeting between US President Trump and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Davos, where they agreed NATO should collectively take more responsibility for Arctic defense. (High North News)
Take 1: Arctic Sentry represents NATO’s first coordinated Arctic defense mission, addressing the security vacuum that Trump’s Greenland demands exposed after years of treating the region as secondary to European theaters. This formalization of NATO presence marks a fundamental shift from the region’s traditional emphasis on scientific cooperation and environmental protection toward explicit military coordination. With the successfulBaltic Sentry andEastern Sentry models applied to the High North and Joint Force Command Norfolk’s leadership, the mission provides a dedicated command structure for Arctic security. The placement of all Nordic countries under Norfolk’s responsibility in December positioned the command to coordinate allied activities across the vast Arctic region. Arctic Sentry will allow NATO to respond collectively to Russian military activity and Chinese Arctic interests while depoliticizing individual national responses to American pressure over Greenland. The mission provides Denmark with multilateral NATO support rather than facing US demands on its own, partially resolving the crisis posed to Danish sovereignty earlier this year. This coordination represents necessary progress toward pooling allied resources and funding to counter Russian military expansion and Chinese economic influence in the Arctic, though sustaining operations will require substantial long-term commitments from member nations. (AP News, Arctic Today, BBC News)
Arctic Tourist Resort Teriberka Becomes Hub for Sanctioned LNG Shadow Fleet
The Barents Observer reported on February 10 that Russian LNG carriers are increasingly using waters off Teriberka, a Kola Peninsula settlement promoted as a tourist attraction. On February 10, three LNG tankers were observed drifting near Teriberka, and ship traffic data from February 9 showed at least seven LNG carriers operating in adjacent waters. Most of the vessels are on international sanction lists, including the Iris, Christophe de Margerie, and Arctic Mulan. (The Barents Observer)
Take 2: Teriberka’s transformation into a shadow fleet servicing hub demonstrates Russia’s continued strategy of adapting Arctic infrastructure to evade sanctions targeting its LNG industry. The remote settlement provides bunkering and supply services for carriers operating outside normal port infrastructure, allowing sanctioned vessels to avoid detection while maintaining operations. The Christophe de Margerie‘s visit to the Rybachii Peninsula, only kilometers from the Norwegian border, shows how close to NATO territory these sanctioned operations are occurring. The frequent visits to Ura Bay, where vessels reload LNG from the Saam FSU floating storage unit, reveal Russia’s workaround of using offshore transshipment rather than direct port loading for the sanctioned Arctic LNG 2 project. This network of floating infrastructure and remote coastal locations makes Western sanctions harder to enforce, as vessels operate in international waters and avoid regulated ports. Russia has consistently taken advantage of the region’s remoteness and harsh conditions to create enforcement blind spots, operating sanctioned industrial activities in areas where Western monitoring capabilities are limited and weather conditions prevent consistent surveillance. As the EU phases out Russian LNG imports by 2027, Western nations must dramatically increase Arctic maritime surveillance and satellite monitoring capabilities to track shadow fleet movements, though the costs and technical challenges of comprehensive Arctic coverage remain significant obstacles to effective enforcement. (High North News, Reuters)
US Coast Guard Awards Contracts for 11 Arctic Security Cutters
The US Coast Guard announced on February 11 that it completed contract awards for eleven new Arctic Security Cutters, as reported by U.S. Coast Guard News. The order fulfills President Trump’s directive to expand America’s icebreaker fleet and builds on previous awards announced on December 29. Davie Defense will construct two cutters at Helsinki Shipyard in Finland and three domestically, with the first vessel expected for delivery in early 2028. (US Coast Guard News)
Take 3: This contract completion operationalizes the ICE Pact agreement announced in 2024, demonstrating concrete progress after years of delayed US icebreaker development. The decision to build two vessels at Helsinki Shipyard in Finland shows American acceptance that US shipyards cannot meet Arctic capability needs at the necessary pace, requiring European expertise despite Trump’s usual emphasis on domestic production. The 2028 delivery timeline represents significant acceleration compared to previous US icebreaker programs that faced decade-long delays and billion-dollar cost overruns. These eleven cutters will dramatically expand US Arctic presence from just two aging icebreakers to a fleet capable of persistent operations. The contract is part of a continued effort to address the capability gap as Russia operates roughly 40 icebreakers including nuclear-powered vessels. The statement included an emphasis on defending borders and countering foreign influence, reflecting the concerns about Russian and Chinese Arctic activity, particularly around Alaska and through shipping lanes. The fleet expansion transforms US Arctic policy to credible power projection as operational presence is necessary in a region where physical capability determines influence. The contract occurs alongside China and Russia continuing to expand their icebreaker fleets, suggesting the regional competition for influence will intensify as all three powers simultaneously build capacity. (BBC News, Financial Times, USNI News)
Arctic Shipping Reaches Record High with 40% Increase Since 2013
The Arctic Council’s Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment working group reported on February 12 that 1,812 unique ships entered the Arctic Polar Code area in 2025, representing a 40 percent increase from 2013. The distance sailed by ships in the Arctic increased 95 percent during the same period, from 6.1 million to 11.9 million nautical miles. Crude oil tankers saw the greatest increase at 396 percent, followed by bulk carriers at 156 percent and cruise ships at 123 percent. (The Arctic Council)
Take 4: This shipping surge demonstrates the gradual transformation of the Arctic from an isolated frontier into an industrial corridor as sea ice continues to melt. Shipping operations are able to exploit climate change impacts, with annual traffic concentrated in September, when sea ice reaches minimum extent. The dramatic increases in specific vessel types reflect major resource extraction projects reshaping Arctic economics. The Mary River Mine drove bulk carrier traffic up 540 percent in Baffin Bay, and Russia’s Yamal LNG project introduced 40 gas tankers to waters that had almost none before 2018. Fishing vessels comprising 40 percent of Arctic traffic shows how commercial exploitation extends beyond minerals and energy to marine resources in newly accessible waters. Additionally, the 123 percent increase in cruise ships raises concerns about tourism pressures on fragile ecosystems and remote Indigenous communities unprepared for visitor influxes. These trends will accelerate as the EU gas ban forces Russian LNG carriers to use Arctic routes more intensively for Asian markets. The largest concern is the increasing accident risks in a region that lacks adequate search and rescue infrastructure. This report shows the urgent needs for enhanced monitoring, enforcement of environmental regulations, and emergency response capabilities across vast areas where current infrastructure remains inadequate for the traffic volumes now operating there. (AP News, Science Direct)
Hurtigruten Launches New Arctic Voyage Options
Cruise Industry News reported on February 12 that Hurtigruten unveiled three new itineraries for the 2027-28 season as part of its premium Signature concept. The voyages include the company’s first fjord-only itinerary, an eight-day Arctic Circle roundtrip from Tromsø, and a new 11-12 day route between Copenhagen and Tromsø. (Cruise Industry News)
Take 5: This expansion reflects growing commercial interest in Arctic tourism as climate change makes northern regions more accessible and appealing to travelers. The addition of Copenhagen as a starting point reduces barriers for European tourists, potentially increasing visitor numbers to fragile Arctic environments already stressed by warming temperatures. The longer port stays in less-visited communities brings economic opportunities but also infrastructure pressures to remote settlements unprepared for regular cruise ship arrivals. This tourism growth occurs alongside the increase in Arctic cruise ships, revealing how rapidly commercial expansion of the region is occurring. For Arctic communities, increased tourism provides revenue but raises questions about whether local populations benefit proportionally or simply bear the costs of infrastructure strain, environmental degradation, and cultural disruption from visitors. Additionally, the increased traffic concentrates environmental impacts in sensitive areas, where communities depend on the ecosystem for their livelihood. (gCaptain, Reuters)