A ban on the most polluting and climate-damaging fuel for ships is in force in Arctic waters.
Heavy fuel oil (HFO) is a tarry, thick, but relatively cheap oil that is widely used in shipping worldwide, particularly in tankers.
However, HFO is especially harmful in the Arctic, where the black carbon released during combustion accelerates the melting of snow and ice.
Campaigners say the ban, while welcome, will have little short-term impact as it contains a number of loopholes that would allow the vast majority of ships to continue using the fuel until 2029.
HFO is produced from the waste left over from oil refining and poses a major threat to the oceans in general, but especially to the Arctic.
This sludge-like fuel is virtually impossible to clean up if a spill occurs.
In colder waters, experts say, the fuel does not break down but sinks into clumps that remain suspended in sediments, threatening fragile ecosystems.
Climate-wise, this oil is considered particularly dangerous. Combustion not only releases large amounts of gases that contribute to global warming, but it also emits soot particles, also called black carbon.
“The black carbon is causing something of a double impact in the Arctic,” said Dr Sian Prior of the Clean Arctic Alliance group of campaigners.
“It pulls heat in while it’s in the atmosphere, and then it deposits on the snow and ice and also accelerates the melting.”
Since 2011, the use and transport of this oil has been banned in Antarctica.
Environmentalists have been pushing for the restriction to be extended to northern waters for years, eventually convincing countries that participate in the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to impose a ban in 2021.
The restriction is now coming into effect in Arctic waters – and while campaigners agree this is progress, they believe there are far too many loopholes that will limit the impact.
According to the regulations, ships that have a ‘protected fuel tank’ are exempt from the ban.
Countries bordering the Arctic will also be able to exempt their own ships from the ban in their own territorial waters.
One of the main players in the region is Russia, which has more than 800 ships in northern waters. They do not implement the new IMO regulations.
These waivers will last until 2029 – their impact is likely to be significant, with the International Council on Clean Transportation estimating that around 74% of ships using HFO will be able to continue to do so.
Some observers believe that increased efforts to extract oil in the Arctic could lead to an increase in the amount of HFO used in these waters, rather than a decrease.
“Oil and gas tankers are a real engine, they use a lot of HFO by volume,” says Dr Elena Tracy of WWF.
“We will see more development of oil and gas projects in certain places, such as the Russian Arctic, and the increased use of LNG carriers there will also increase the volume of HFO.”
Campaigners claim that alternative fuels exist and hope the shipping industry and Arctic shipping countries will take the ban seriously.
They cite Norway as an example of what can be achieved.
The Norwegian government has already implemented a strong ban on HFO around the Svalbard archipelago.
Campaigners say this kind of action is needed now – because the Arctic does not have the luxury of time.
“Scientists are already saying that we will likely see the first ice-free days in the Arctic in the 2030s, some say as early as 2030,” said Dr. Prior.
“We really need action in the coming years to reduce soot emissions and limit the use of these oils.
“We really urge countries to act faster. We urge the shipping industry to do the right thing.”