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Heavy Fuel Oil
The bow of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy in the Beaufort Sea, northeast of Barrow, Alaska.
NASA/Kathryn Hansen
Oil and Arctic Waters Don’t Mix
The risk of spills — especially of toxic heavy fuel oil (HFO) — increases as more ships travel through the narrow Bering Strait. HFO is a tar-like sludge left over from crude oil processing that is very dangerous to marine mammals, seabirds and fish.
Alaskan Storms - An oil tanker takes refuge from the storm.
Aleatoric
Many large vessels carry significant volumes of heavy fuel oil (HFO), which they use to power their engines.
An accident involving one of these ships could cause a devastating HFO spill.
HFO is an extremely toxic, thick, gooey oil that breaks down slowly in the marine environment, especially the icy waters of the Arctic.
A cargo ship moves through northern waters.
Gorodenkoff Visuals
A major HFO spill could kill thousands of marine mammals, fish and seabirds, and jeopardize food security for communities that rely on hunting and fishing.
Why we need to ban Heavy Fuel Oil from Arctic Shipping. Credit: Clean Arctic Alliance, HFO-Free Arctic.
Impossible Clean-Up
Cleaning up an HFO spill in the Bering Strait would be almost impossible due to these factors:
Remote location
Lack of adequate response infrastructure
Potential for severe weather and other challenges
Background Photo: A clean-up crew works to rid the beach of crude oil from the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill in Prince William Sound.
Cleaning up the 1989 "Exxon Valdez" crude oil spill in Prince William Sound.
Colin Curwood
Recommendations
The "Selendang Ayu" aground in the Aleutians, spilling oil and killing six.
Doug Helton, NOAA
The International Maritime Organization should adopt a proposed ban that would prohibit ships from using or carrying HFO in the Arctic.
A similar ban is already in effect in Antarctic waters.
The "Selendang Ayu" aground in the Aleutians, spilling oil and killing six.
Doug Helton, NOAA
