The Festival of the Sea has taken over Reykjavik all this weekend in celebration of Seamen’s Day, which is today. The celebration of Iceland’s important fishing industry is also taking place all over the country. Read the full story

Last week’s Baltic Sea Action Summit in Helsinki concluded with few binding commitments made and mixed reactions to the meeting’s outcome. Read the full story

In a sign that Russia might not take an aggressively autonomous approach to staking its claim of the Arctic’s riches, it has been announced that Russia and Norway will work together to map the floor of the Barents Sea. The joint mapping project will begin later this month, according to a report by DN Energi.

This is a positive sign, as the nations which border the Arctic need to reach a consensus at some point over how to divide the seabed. The Norway Post reports that Russia and Norway will map the uncharted underwater territory around the Svalbard archipelago as well as in the Barents Sea. Read the full story

When most people think of surfing, tropical destinations such as Australia or Hawaii come to mind. But what very few people realise is that Finland’s coasts are supporting a growing surf scene, despite the fact that the water is freezing and the waves puny. Read the full story

Finland’s transport minister was joined by the Finnish hauliers’ lobby in rejecting a proposal by the Russian Federal Customs Service that wants to move the majority of regional container shipping off the road and onto trains and ships. The unanimous response was that such a shift would result in utter chaos. Read the full story

Oil slicks have been seen in satellite pictures taken over the Dragon Area, northwest of Iceland, mbl.is reports.

The discovery increases the likelihood that oil will be found in the area. Exploration licences have already been issued by the Icelandic government. Read the full story

At the end of 2008 there were 1,529 fishing ships registered with the Icelandic Maritime Administration, meaning their number had reduced by 113 from the previous year, according to figures from Statistics Iceland.

The number of motorboats was 769 and their combined weight was 86,390 gross tonnes. Read the full story

The general manager of Elding, the company offering whale watching trips from Reykjavik Harbour, says she is very disappointed with fishing minister Steingrimur J. Sigfusson’s decision to allow whaling this summer.

“We are going to feel this,” Rannveig Gretarsdottir told mbl.is when she heard Sigfusson’s decision. Read the full story

PRESS RELEASE FROM THE NORDIC COUNCIL:

Iceland would like to improve safety at sea in the North Atlantic. Even though the volume of shipping in North Atlantic waters has risen in the wake of climate change, increasing the danger of environmental disasters, adequate risk maps of the area have never been drawn up. In collaboration with the other Nordic countries, Iceland would like to produce just such a map of the North Atlantic. Read the full story

Last year nobody lost their life in accidents at sea on Icelandic vessels. This makes 2008 unique with regard to the annual death figures compiled by the Icelandic Maritime Administration (IMA).

In a press release the IMA states that due to Iceland’s close links to the sea and the importance of seafaring since the beginning, it is perfectly possible Read the full story