Norway proposes ban on heavy fuel oil in Arctic Circle shipping

Norway has recently revealed a plan to ban the use of heavy fuel oil for the shipping industry around its northernmost archipelago, Svalbard.

The government are planning on making the shift owing to the damage such oil products do to the Arctic, including what heavy oil spills can do to the area's vulnerable ecosystems and how heavy oil behaves in low temperatures and ice.

Their proposal states that an "accident on Svalbard could lead to major long-term damage to the environment. In addition, large distances, ice, cold and poor access to oil spill response mean emergency preparedness is difficult and expensive."

Minister of Climate and Environment, Sveinung Rotevatn, said: “Svalbard has a very vulnerable nature and large unique wilderness areas. Therefore, the government has set high environmental goals for Svalbard, which means that the risk of damage to the environment must be low. A ban on heavy oil that applies to the whole of Svalbard is a natural step to take to reduce this risk."

The government's decision to ban it stems from a campaign by the UN's International Maritime Organisation (IMO), who first drafted a bill to call for HFO bans in the Arctic back in February.

However, the inclusion of loopholes in the draft is set to inhibit the effect of the bill, leading to the Norwegians to draft their own version.

The Norwegian Ministry for Climate and the Environment is now sending the proposal for public consultation.

HFOs have been banned in Svalbard's national park waters since 2015 and in the Antarctic since 2011.

Dr Sian Prior, lead scientific advisor for the green charity Clean Arctic Alliance, said: “We welcome this important commitment by Norway to protect the waters around Svalbard from the risks of heavy fuel oil (HFO) spills, and its glaciers and sea ice from the impacts of black carbon emissions caused by the burning of HFO.

"Norway leads the way amongst Arctic nations in getting rid of HFO from Arctic waters, and is demonstrating international leadership by going above and beyond the weak ambitions of Arctic HFO ban currently being considered by the International Maritime Organization.”

According to an analysis performed by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT), the IMO's regulation will only decrease net HFO use in the Arctic waters by 16%, and carriage of the fuel by 30% when it comes into effect in July 2024 and will allow Arctic shipping to continue at 74% of its current rate.

The data suggests that between July 2024 and July 2029, once the ban goes into effect fully, the amount of HFO used and carried in the Arctic is likely to increase as shipping traffic in those lanes does.

Newer ships replacing older vessels will reportedly be able to take advantage of the exemption or change flag and seek a waiver from the ban.

According to the Clean Arctic Alliance, at least five states bordering the Arctic Circle will be able to issue waivers to the own vessels to bypass the ban as it will create a two-tier system for environmental protection and enforcement, alongside lower standards in regulation.

Dr Prior said: “If the IMO’s Arctic HFO ban is approved as currently drafted, it will expose the Arctic to even greater risks associated with HFO throughout the 2020s.

"Norway’s commitment to protecting the waters and environment of Svalbard must serve as the impetus for greater ambition from Arctic states to agree to a stronger and effective ban on this dirty shipping fuel throughout the Arctic.

“In response to the inherent weakness of this draft ban, the Clean Arctic Alliance is calling for IMO Arctic Member States to mirror Norway’s leadership, and to strengthen and improve the draft Arctic HFO regulation by removing or amending the exemption and the waiver clauses, and by bringing forward the implementation dates.

She added: "Failure to do so will result in the approval of a “paper ban” on the use and carriage of heavy fuel oil - devoid of any meaningful protection for the Arctic."

The IMO's Marine Environment Committee is projected to approve the bill on November 18.

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