The Clean Arctic Alliance October 4 welcomed progress by the International Maritime Organization’s Marine Environment Protection Committee (IMO, MEPC 82) towards regulation of black carbon emissions from Arctic shipping, but lamented the UN body’s “kicking down the road” any decision regarding rules for scrubber use in the region.
Dr Sian Prior, Lead Advisor to the Clean Arctic Alliance, said: “With the IMO finally looking set to regulate black carbon emissions from black carbon – which will greatly lower the impact of the shipping sector on Arctic sea and glaciers – member states must now agree on which fuels are appropriate for use in the Arctic, so that robust rules can be put in place.
“Many countries made clear their increased and wide-spread support for the regulation of black carbon emissions during MEPC 82, however their challenge now is to agree how best to ban the use of unsuitable highly polluting fuels, e.g., residual fuels currently being used in the Arctic which produce high levels of black carbon – especially as global shipping seeks to decarbonize – and draft an IMO regulation for adoption.”
Residual fuels are fuels derived from the leftovers of refinery process, including bunker fuels such as heavy fuel oil. They can only be used today in association with a scrubber, but are also blended with lighter fuels to form fuels low in sulphur but which still produce high levels of black carbon.
Emission control areas
During MEPC 82, IMO member states adopted final amendments for regulations designating Canadian Arctic waters and the Norwegian Sea as emission control areas – sea areas with stricter controls on fuel use and pollution from shipping.
Both ECAs will limit air pollutants of SOx, NOx and Particulate Matter with the co-benefit of reducing associated black carbon emissions, encouraging shipping operators to switch to using cleaner fuel.
In addition, Portugal presented the results of environmental and socio-economic studies which provide the necessary arguments for designating another ECA which could stretch from Portuguese waters in the south to the coast of Greenland in the north, which is anticipated to come forward in 2025.
Carolina Silva, Shipping Policy Officer at ZERO, said: “We welcome the adoption of new Emission Control Areas (ECAs) in Canada’s Arctic waters and the Norwegian Sea, and we now look forward to a new proposal for an Atlantic ECA which would bring further reductions in NOx, SOx, and particulate matter being submitted for approval in early 2025.
“It is paramount to keep the momentum around Emission Control Areas as effective tools to curb these harmful emissions from shipping, including black carbon, in particularly sensitive areas and regions such as the Arctic.”
Kåre Press-Kristensen from Green Global Future, said: “We are pleased to see the full engagement of all north Atlantic countries and territories in the process, from Portugal to Iceland and Greenland, and to see that everything is on schedule for a new proposal next year. We hope for a cleaner and colder Arctic as soon as possible.”
Andrew Dumbrille, North American Advisor to the Clean Arctic Alliance, said: “Now we need the US to follow Norway and Canada’s lead and create an Arctic ECA in its Alaskan waters.
“This would create a North American wide ECA to fully protect these waters from the impacts of climate pollutants such as black carbon. What’s ultimately needed is an Arctic wide ECA, across all Arctic states, to comprehensively reduce air pollution for the entire Arctic.”
Scrubbers
Unlike the progress made on black carbon and emission control areas, during MEPC 82, the IMO failed to deliver progress on the international regulation of scrubbers or scrubber discharges.
Scientists recently announced that we have passed the planetary boundary for ocean acidification and the Arctic is acidifying faster than the global ocean, yet all discussion was yet again postponed, with further consideration of the use of scrubbers and regulation of discharge water from scrubbers now tabled for 2025.
The consequence is that worldwide, around 5000 ships will continue pumping over ten gigatons of acidic and toxic scrubber water into the ocean, including into protected areas and critical wildlife habitats.
Eelco Leemans, Clean Arctic Alliance Technical Advisor, said: “The IMO’s lack of action on scrubbers is frustrating – fortunately some governments and ports have recently taken action to ban the discharge of scrubber waste in their coastal and port waters, including most recently Sweden and Denmark.
“But we need action to ban the dumping of scrubber waste in important wildlife habitats and marine protected areas, and a total ban on the use of scrubbers in the Arctic.”
Carbon intensity indicator
Prior said: “It is essential that IMO member states embrace ambitious climate action and properly resource and pick up the pace of negotiations if the IMO is to ensure that shipping’s climate pollution peaks and reduces in line with its 2023 GHG strategy, thus curbing the sector’s contribution to the worst impacts of climate breakdown and the Arctic climate crisis.
“The Clean Arctic Alliance is concerned at the lack of urgency around strengthening the IMO’s energy efficiency measure. Failure to maximize the efficiency of the shipping sector immediately through a strengthened carbon intensity indicator (CII) threatens the IMO’s goal of cutting emissions by 30% by 2030.
Underwater noise
With respect to addressing the impact of underwater noise from shipping, there was good progress. A proposed Action Plan was agreed and an experience building phase (EBP) based on the revised IMO guidelines adopted last year is on track to build knowledge and set the foundation for potential mandatory measures in the future.
Photo credit: iStock/ Alexey_Seafarer