New fuel restrictions for ships in Arctic fall short, green groups say
https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/climate-energy/new-fuel-restrictions-ships-arctic-fall-short-green-groups-say-2024-07-01/
New fuel restrictions for ships in Arctic fall short, green groups say
By Gloria Dickie and Jonathan Saul
July 1, 2024 9:05 AM UTC · Updated ago
LONDON, July 1 (Reuters) - Ships sailing through Arctic waters will no longer be able to use or carry heavy bunker fuel oil under a United Nations shipping agency regulation which took effect on Monday.
Yet environmental groups say the ban does not go far enough in geographic scope or addressing dirty black carbon emissions from ships, which can darken white ice and speed up the melting wrought by climate change.
The ban, adopted in 2021 by the UN's International Maritime Organization (IMO), aims to prevent heavy fuel oil (HFO) spills which could have a devastating impact on the Arctic's sensitive environment and species, including walrus, polar bears, and beluga whales.
"Shipping in the Arctic continues to increase - both in terms of numbers of ships and also the length of time ships are sailing in the Arctic," said Sian Prior, lead advisor of the Clean Arctic Alliance which comprises 20 environmental groups.
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