These various measures would apply in different ways, depending

on the nature of the vessel and the voyage. In practice, a regulatory regime could begin with voluntary measures and, depending on the success of those measures and a need for more formal actions, evolve towards mandatory standards of care established by the U.S. or Russia, in the case of domestic regulations, and the IMO, for international regulations. The measures themselves may be similar in nature and intent, with the main difference being the way they are implemented and enforced. Voluntary safety and environmental protection measures may be recommended by regulators, including government agencies as well as the IMO. These measures can include all of the regulatory measures, such as voluntary vessel speed limits, reporting recommendations, routing selleck screening library recommendations, or other actions. Although commercial shippers do not have to adhere to voluntary SCH727965 datasheet measures, compliance with some voluntary measures can be high [71], though variable [72] and may be low or negligible for some measures, as was found for speed restrictions off the coast of California [73]. Compliance is likely due to a desire to operate responsibly

to reduce risk, or requirements by insurers that vessels follow appropriate guidelines whether mandatory or not. If regulators recommend pragmatic voluntary measures to which commercial shippers are likely to adhere, regulators may be able to significantly increase on-the-water safety

and environmental protections in a relatively short period of time. In addition to encouraging voluntary compliance in the short-term, these measures may facilitate adoption of binding measures in the long run. Under UNCLOS, coastal states have Fossariinae authority to regulate vessels that fly the flag of the coastal state (Part VII, Articles 92 and 94) or that are going to or from a port of that state, and can enact a broad range of safety and protective measures. They can also regulate foreign-flagged vessels that in transit passage so long as such regulation does not discriminate among foreign ships or impair the right of transit passage (Part III, Article 42). Accordingly, domestic regulation by the United States or Russia could have a significant impact on safety and environmental protection in the region and could set the stage for international regulation. Such actions could be, but do need to be, done cooperatively by the two countries—although full coverage of the transboundary Bering Strait region would clearly require bilateral cooperation. These domestic regulations can cover the types of measures described in Section 5. International regulation of vessel traffic is done through the IMO, which has established a variety of instruments designed to promote safety and prevent marine pollution by vessels.