Tag: HFO

Following the action by the IMO to approve a ban ridden with loopholes on the use and carriage of heavy fuel oil in the Arctic (HFO), Clean Arctic Alliance slammed this decision.

As the first virtual meeting of the IMO’s MEPC 75 started today, the Clean Arctic Alliance urged member states to amend and improve its draft ban on the use and carriage of HFO in the Arctic. Through a new Infographic, it also warns states of the risk of implementing a “paper ban” - a weak regulation that will leave the Arctic exposed to greater danger from oil spills and black carbon pollution.

Clean Arctic Alliance welcomes Norway's proposal to completely ban the use of heavy fuel oil (HFO) by shipping around the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard. Norway announced the ban of HFO, highlighting that heavy oil spills greatly damage the Arctic environment due to the vulnerable ecosystems and how heavy oil behaves at low temperatures and ice.

HFO produces higher levels of air and climate pollutants than any other marine fuel, and its use must be banned in the Arctic, urged WWF.

In February 2020, at the seventh session of IMO’s Pollution Prevention and Response Sub-Committee, delegates agreed on draft text of a ban on the use and carriage for use of HFO in the Arctic. However,  the draft text would allow some ships to use HFO until July 2029, says the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT).

Clean Article Alliance along with the Iceland Nature Conservation Association (INCA) urge government to immediately act and eliminate the use of heavy fuel oil and carriage within Iceland’s 200 nautical mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

Highlights of the PPR 7 included the finalization of the guidelines for scrubbers, development of a basis for work to determine the impact of scrubber water discharge, draft regulations for prohibiting the use and carriage of HFO as fuel in the Arctic, and revision of guidance on ballast water system commissioning.

The IMO Sub-Committee on Pollution Prevention and Response (PPR 7) agreed on a draft regulation on heavy fuel oil (HFO) use and carriage in the Arctic, but denounced the inclusion of loopholes in the text, which means the ban will not come into effect until 2029, the Clean Arctic Alliance informed. 

The Government of Canada announced that they are in favour of banning heavy fuel oil (HFO) in Arctic waters in protection of the marine environment, while also look for a phased-in approach to the ban. The Ministers announced that they will look for a phased-in approach to the ban, in line with Canada's discussions with IMO countries in efforts to balance the environmental benefits with the economic realities.

On the sidelines of the International Maritime Organization's (IMO) Arctic Summit, HFO-Free Arctic, global campaign by the Clean Arctic Alliance 2020, published an inforgraphic informing of the severe impacts of HFO use in the Arctic, also highlighting the economic impacts of clean-up costs and an HFO ban.