I doubt it's only about resolution, but the potential hazards at sea. It must be different to sail a ship on the ocean than decide what's safe by looking at sat pictures on a computer screen. I'd rather trust the guys making their living by sailing the arctic icebreakers.
Are the individual drifting floes meters thick MYI or just soft rubble? Any chance of ice blocking the once opened channel? How is the wind, waves, visibility, weather forecast etc.