The IMO’s proposed Arctic heavy fuel oil (HFO) ban, scheduled to be finalised in November, has been run through the wringer by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) in a 38-page study detailing what it claims are the many loopholes in the proposed new legislation that aims to reduce oil spills and black carbon emissions in the Arctic, particularly as HFO use across the entire Arctic fleet was up 75% in 2019 compared to 2015.

IMO’s proposed HFO ban would cover only a fraction of HFO carried and used in the Arctic until exemptions and waivers expire in 2029, the study claims. ICCT analysis finds, had the ban been in place in 2019, it would have eliminated only 30% of HFO carriage and 16% of HFO use, and this would have reduced black carbon emissions by only 5%. ICCT has subsequently recommended eliminating or limiting exemptions and waivers to better protect the fragile Arctic region.