It’s Time to Phase Out Heavy Fuel Oil Use for Shipping in the Arctic

The document advocates for a regional phase-out of Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO) in the Arctic, noting that 96 percent of large ships in the region use this toxic fuel. It highlights the role of black carbon emissions in accelerating Arctic ice melt and the extreme difficulty of cleaning up HFO spills in remote, cold environments. The author calls on the Obama administration to use the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to address these risks, specifically by submitting a comment paper by September 2, 2016.

• The Arctic region is warming more than twice as fast as the global average since the 1960s, leading to the melting of the Greenland ice sheet, thawing permafrost, and retreating sea ice.
• Approximately 96 percent of large ships in the Arctic use Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO), which produces higher emissions of nitrogen oxides, sulphur, and black carbon compared to other fuels.
• Black carbon is a major driver of Arctic warming, contributing to about one-third of the region's warming by reducing the amount of sunlight reflected by snow and ice.
• HFO spills in the Arctic are nearly impossible to remediate because the fuel emulsifies quickly and cleanup is complicated by remote locations, low temperatures, and extended darkness.
• While the US and Canada pledged to address HFO and black carbon risks in the Obama-Trudeau Joint Statement, the US missed the deadline to place the issue on the October 2016 IMO meeting agenda.

APA

James, L. (2016). It’s Time to Phase Out Heavy Fuel Oil Use for Shipping in the Arctic. Clean Air Task Force. https://www.catf.us/2016/08/its-time-to-phase-out-heavy-fuel-oil-use-for-shipping-in-the-arctic/

Chicago

James, Liana. It’s Time to Phase Out Heavy Fuel Oil Use for Shipping in the Arctic. Clean Air Task Force, 2016. https://www.catf.us/2016/08/its-time-to-phase-out-heavy-fuel-oil-use-for-shipping-in-the-arctic/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=James |first1=Liana |title=It’s Time to Phase Out Heavy Fuel Oil Use for Shipping in the Arctic |publisher=Clean Air Task Force |date=16 August 2016 |url=https://www.catf.us/2016/08/its-time-to-phase-out-heavy-fuel-oil-use-for-shipping-in-the-arctic/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{james2016its, author = {James, Liana}, title = {{It’s Time to Phase Out Heavy Fuel Oil Use for Shipping in the Arctic}}, publisher = {Clean Air Task Force}, year = {2016}, month = aug, url = {https://www.catf.us/2016/08/its-time-to-phase-out-heavy-fuel-oil-use-for-shipping-in-the-arctic/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }