37% Of Ships In Canadian Arctic Use Heavy Fuel Oil, Dirtiest Fuel On Earth - Toxic, Sooty, Viscous
During a span of eight years, 37 per cent of ships in the Canadian Arctic were run on heavy fuel oil, according to a new report. This research is the first in Canada to quantify the use of what’s considered to be the dirtiest type of fuel.
Arctic countries and the International Maritime Organization have been discussing a ban on heavy fuel oil for several years and plan to start phasing out its use in 2024 due to concerns about spill risks and a type of emission known as “black carbon.” “The Canadian government has been interested in looking at a ban in more detail, but we don’t have the data available for people to think about what has been happening in the Canadian Arctic,” said Nicolien Van Luijk, the lead author of the study out of University of Ottawa. “As researchers, we’re trying to provide that data.”
Heavy fuel oil, which is widely used in the commercial shipping industry due to its availability and low cost, is a byproduct of the crude oil refining process. It’s thicker and less refined than other types of fuel such as diesel. When burned, heavy fuel oil emits more black carbon than any other fuel used in shipping. Black carbon is second only to carbon dioxide in driving climate change and its impacts are exponentially worse in Arctic regions, where the black soot settles on white landscapes, absorbing rather than reflecting sunlight.
Heavy fuel oil is also particularly difficult to clean up because of its viscosity, the report says. Unlike some fuels, which remain at the water’s surface, heavy fuel oil can spread throughout the water column. “There are other alternatives that have the potential to produce less air pollution and decrease the potential for damaging oil spills, such as liquid natural gas, battery-powered or solar-powered ships, and other types of cleaner fuels,” the report notes. Distillate fuel, such as marine diesel oil, the report says, is the most feasible alternative for ship operators in the Arctic at the moment, considering its availability and reasonable cost.
EDIT
https://thenarwhal.ca/heavy-fuel-oil-used-more-than-one-third-ships-canadian-arctic/
