National Snow and Ice Data Center

The International Ice Charting Working Group (IICWG), formed in October 1999, is a working group of the world’s national ice services to promote coordination of operational sea ice and iceberg information services to better meet the needs of their national and international maritime clients. Through collaboration and cooperation in data sharing, standards, training, product development, research activities, and the delivery of information services, the IICWG aims to enhance the safety of maritime operations in ice-covered waters. For more on the history and purpose of the IICWG, see The IICWG - An Historical Perspective After 13 Years. For a comprehensive description of sea ice information services worldwide, see WMO's Sea Ice Information Services in the World.

The IICWG is governed by a Charter and Terms of Reference.

The current co-chairs of the IICWG are:

• Marianne Thyrring, Director, Danish Meteorological Institute
• Diane Campbell, Director-General, Weather and Environmental Prediction and Services, Environment and Climate Change Canada

Current Ice Information

The latest ice charts can be found on the Ice Logistics Portal.

Emergency situations involving floating ice: International Ice Service Emergency Contact List (PDF 162 KB, May 2017).

General enquiries about floating ice: Regional Contact List (PDF 63 KB, Aug 2017).

Most Recent IICWG Meeting

• IICWG-XVIII 2017

Upcoming Events

IICWG-XIX Meeting

• The 19th meeting of the IICWG will be held in Helsinki, Finland September 24-28, 2018
  • Call for Agenda Items (PDF 543 KB, Apr. 2018)
  • Invitation Letter (PDF 976 KB, May 2018)
  • Agenda Outline (PDF 433 KB, May 2018)

Action Item Status

• IICWG Plenary Action Item Status (PDF 230 KB, Feb. 2018)

What's New

• Second Arctic Shipping Best Practices Information Forum (ASBPIF) Report (PDF 371 KB, May 2018)

Note: This site is maintained for IICWG by the NOAA@NSIDC team.