Photos: Alaskan Arctic conference in Anchorage

ExpandAutoplay

Image 1 of 17

President Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson of Iceland meets with first lady Donna Walker and Gov. Bill Walker during a reception for "The Alaskan Arctic: A Summit on Shipping and Ports" in the Quarter Deck at the Hotel Captain Cook on Sunday, Aug. 23, 2015.

With Arctic sea ice dwindling toward what is likely to be one of the lowest minimums on record, conditions are primed for a busy shipping season at the top of the world.

Royal Dutch Shell is back in the Chukchi Sea with its exploration armada and at work drilling for oil after three years of regrouping that followed the mistake-laden 2012 drill season. The Northern Sea Route across the top of Russia is clear, and has been for much of the summer. Businesses and governments around the world, even those far from the Arctic Circle, are interested in far-north commerce and are investing in ships and infrastructure.

That makes this an auspicious time in history for Alaska and its circumpolar neighbors Arctic neighbors to participate in that shipping boom, said keynote speakers opening a conference on Arctic shipping in Anchorage.

Particularly upbeat was Icelandic President Olafur Ragnar Grimsson, who spoke Sunday evening at the conference, called "The Alaskan Arctic: A Summit on Shipping and Ports." The conference is hosted by Alaska Dispatch News publisher Alice Rogoff and others, including Grimsson.

READ MORE: Calls for action issued at Arctic shipping conference in Anchorage