Developing Arctic Alaska's Oil Will Require Lots of Cooperation. [Opinion] "The eyes of the world are turning north. We must start using our Arctic resources ... And we need to move right now," said twice Alaska Governor and Secretary of the Interior Walter Hickel 40 years ago. In the wake of Shell's decision to delay 2014 drilling in Chukchi Sea, one can't help but wonder how much time is enough for the U.S. to start using its Arctic resources. While economists point to a notable upswing in commercial activity in the Arctic, which is shared by eight nations, including the U.S., critics say the U.S. is far from being in the lead. Other countries are busy upgrading Arctic infrastructure and claiming their respective slices of shipping, tourism, and resource development opportunities, often by attracting global lenders and multinational developers. Alaska Dispatch

Whales, Ships More Common Through Bering Strait. The Arctic is home to a growing number of whales and ships, and to populations of sub-Arctic whales that are expanding their territory into newly ice-free Arctic waters. A study of the narrow passage of the Bering Strait uses underwater microphones to track the whales by their sounds. Three years of recordings reveal more detections of both Arctic and sub-Arctic whales traveling through the narrow choke point. Science Blog

Greenland Meeting to Discuss Arctic Fishing. International delegations from five Arctic coastal nations are meeting in Greenland this week to discuss Arctic fishing. Huge sections of international waters in the Arctic, once locked almost permanently in ice, are now opening up in the summer. As the ice melts even faster, there are concerns over the fact there are no rules to control commercial fishing in this delicate ecosystem. The five Arctic nations -- Canada, Russia, Denmark, Norway and the United States -- have been discussing the issue. Alaska Dispatch

Joint Initiative in Iceland Offers Services for Arctic Operations. Arctic Services, a joint initiative between companies and institutions in Iceland, collectively, has over 40 years' experience servicing Arctic operations in the North Atlantic. The main objective of Arctic Services is to promote the high service level and infrastructure available for those involved in exploration, oil search and mining in the Arctic region. The joint initiative was first introduced in March 2013, and since then, has grown into a collective of 55 companies in various sectors of professional services and industries. Ice News

Tricky Issues Could Put Arctic Sea Route Cheer on Ice. The dream of using the Northern Sea Route from Europe to Asia has been around for over 100 years. This is increasingly becoming a reality now with China even dubbing it the "Golden Waterway" with predictions that up to 15% of its international trade will flow via the route by 2020. This trend was highlighted by Ince & Co partner Rory MacFarlane at China Maritime 2014 at a session held in conjunction with the Young Professionals In Shipping Network HK afternoon seminar series last week in Hong Kong. Seatrade Global