World News
Clean Arctic Alliance Hails IMO Arctic Fuel ban Progress
Work on deciding what type of fuels might come under an Arctic heavy fuel oil ban is to start at the relevant International Maritime Organisation (IMO) committee.
In addition, a way to work out the impact of a heavy fuel oil ban Arctic communities has been been agreed by the sub-committee on Pollution Prevention and Response (PPR6).
But non-governmental organisation Clean Arctic Alliance (CAA) has called on Arctic states Russia and Canada to add their support to the ban which has the backing of Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Iceland.
"With the countdown to a ban on heavy fuel oil use and carriage as fuel by Arctic shipping ticking away, CAA welcomes the progress made this week at PPR 6," said CAA advisor Dr Sian Prior.
Much work remains to be done to afford the same level of protection from heavy fuel oil to the Arctic ecosystem and indigenous local communities as is already in place for Antarctic waters.
Prior said that he hoped a new regulation for the ban would be finalised at the next sub-committee meeting early next year.