Sign up
Log in Sign up
This is a legacy page. Please click here to view the latest version.
Wed 22 Aug 2018, 14:57 GMT

NGOs challenge Maersk to 'come clean' on Arctic fuel use


Coalition calls on shipper to 'take the lead' and commit to never using HFO in the Arctic.

Image credit: Clean Arctic Alliance
The Clean Arctic Alliance - a coalition of international non-governmental organisations (NGOs) committed to banning the use of heavy fuel oil (HFO) as a marine fuel in the Arctic - has responded to news that the world's largest container ship operator, Maersk, plans to run a trial crossing of the Arctic's Northern Sea Route - along the coast of Russia, between the Pacific and the Atlantic.

Lead Advisor Sian Prior on Wednesday called for Maersk to clarify what type of fuel it will be consuming for the planned trial, saying: "The Clean Arctic Alliance challenges Maersk to come clean on what fuel the Venta Maersk will use when crossing Arctic waters - and for Maersk, its customers, and its competitors to commit to never using the world's dirtiest fuel - heavy fuel oil (HFO) - to power ships in the Arctic."

Calling on Maersk to "take the lead in the Arctic", Prior said: "With this week's news that the Arctic's strongest sea ice has broken up twice this year, for the first time on record, using heavy fuel oil to power shipping in the Arctic not only increases the risk of oil spills, but also generates emissions of black carbon, which exacerbate the melting of both sea and glacier ice in the Arctic region. By taking the lead in the Arctic, Maersk could lead a vanguard of companies shipping commercial goods that move towards clean and renewable forms of propulsion for shipping worldwide."

Prior added: "In April 2018, the International Maritime Organization's Marine Environment Protection Committee agreed to move forward on consideration of [an] Arctic ban on heavy fuel oil. The meeting directed a sub-committee (PPR6) - which will meet in early 2019 - to develop a ban on heavy fuel oil use and carriage for use by ships in the Arctic, 'on the basis of an assessment of the impacts' and 'on an appropriate timescale'.

"It is time for international shipping companies to clean up their act by moving to cleaner fuels, while operating in sensitive and vulnerable regions of the world - for the sake of the Arctic, its people, its wildlife and indeed, for the whole planet."

IBIA MFM bunkering training course graphic. IBIA announces new date for mass flow meter training course in Rotterdam  

Training scheduled for 12 May follows mandatory MFM implementation at Rotterdam and Antwerp-Bruges ports.
A Maersk vessel, pictured from above. Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd suspend Strait of Hormuz transits amid Middle East security crisis  

Container carriers reroute services around the Cape of Good Hope as military conflict escalates.
Map of Middle East. Operations continue as normal at most Middle East ports  

Most facilities operating normally, with exceptions in Bahrain, Oman and Saudi Arabia.
Photograph of the 93,000-cbm very large ammonia carrier (VLAC) Gaz Ronin. Naftomar takes delivery of 93,000-cbm dual-fuel ammonia carrier  

Gaz Ronin features a MAN dual-fuel engine with high-pressure selective catalytic reduction technology.
Aurora Botnia leaving harbor. AYK Energy completes world’s largest marine battery retrofit on Wasaline ferry  

Aurora Botnia receives 10.4 MWh battery system, bringing total capacity to 12.6 MWh.
Steel cutting ceremony for an LNG dual-fuel 307,000-tonne crude oil tanker with builder's hull no. 113. Dalian Shipbuilding begins construction on LNG dual-fuel crude tanker  

Development is one of a number of milestones reported by parent company over the past few days.
Photograph of Sallaum Lines' Ocean Breeze vessel with 'Introducing The Blue Corridor' overlaid text. Sallaum Lines launches Blue Corridor sustainability initiative for Europe–Africa ro-ro trade  

Company deploys LNG-capable vessels with AI routing and eco-speed protocols on new green shipping corridor.
The platform supply vessel Viking Energy. Eidesvik Offshore signs yard contract for ammonia retrofit of PSV Viking Energy  

Halsnøy Dokk to convert platform supply vessel as part of EU-backed Apollo project.
Vanquish tanker alongside Jette Theresa oil/chemical tanker docked at terminal. North Sea Port completes risk analysis for alternative fuel bunkering operations  

Port authority says LNG, hydrogen, methanol and ammonia can be safely refuelled across its facilities.
Container ship near a port. Ammonia emerges as most feasible alternative fuel for deep-sea shipping in 2050 emissions study  

Research combining expert survey and technical analysis ranks ammonia ahead of hydrogen and methanol.

↑  Back to Top


 Recommended