X
Attention: Your browser is no longer supported and will not receive any further security updates. Websites may no longer display or behave correctly as they have in the past. Please transition to using Microsoft Edge, Microsoft's latest browser, to continue enjoying the modern web.
Provided by Google Translate
English Español Français Deutsch Italiano Português русский বঙ্গীয় 中文 日本語
Provided by Google Translate
Afrikaans Albanian Amharic Arabic Armenian Azerbaijani Basque Belarusian Bengali Bosnian Bulgarian Catalan Cebuano Chinese (S) Chinese (T) Corsican Croatian Czech Danish Dutch English Esperanto Estonian Finnish French Frisian Galician Georgian German Greek Gujarati Haitian Creole Hausa Hawaiian Hebrew Hindi Hmong Hungarian Icelandic Igbo Indonesian Irish Italian Japanese Javanese Kannada Kazakh Khmer Kinyarwanda Korean Kurdish Kyrgyz Lao Latvian Lithuanian Luxembourgish Macedonian Malagasy Malay Malayalam Maltese Maori Marathi Mongolian Myanmar Nepali Norwegian Nyanja Odia Pashto Persian Polish Portuguese Punjabi Romanian Russian Samoan Scots Gaelic Serbian Sesotho Shona Sindhi Sinhala Slovak Slovenian Somali Spanish Sundanese Swahili Swedish Tagalog Tajik Tamil Tatar Telugu Thai Turkish Turkmen Ukrainian Urdu Uyghur Uzbek Vietnamese Welsh Xhosa Yiddish Yoruba Zulu

  • AfrikaansAlbanianAmharicArabicArmenianAzerbaijaniBasqueBelarusianBengaliBosnianBulgarianCatalanCebuanoChinese (S)Chinese (T)CorsicanCroatianCzechDanishDutchEnglishEsperantoEstonianFinnishFrenchFrisianGalicianGeorgianGermanGreekGujaratiHaitian CreoleHausaHawaiianHebrewHindiHmongHungarianIcelandicIgboIndonesianIrishItalianJapaneseJavaneseKannadaKazakhKhmerKinyarwandaKoreanKurdishKyrgyzLaoLatvianLithuanianLuxembourgishMacedonianMalagasyMalayMalayalamMalteseMaoriMarathiMongolianMyanmarNepaliNorwegianNyanjaOdiaPashtoPersianPolishPortuguesePunjabiRomanianRussianSamoanScots GaelicSerbianSesothoShonaSindhiSinhalaSlovakSlovenianSomaliSpanishSundaneseSwahiliSwedishTagalogTajikTamilTatarTeluguThaiTurkishTurkmenUkrainianUrduUyghurUzbekVietnameseWelshXhosaYiddishYorubaZulu
    Provided by Google Translate
  • Donate
  • About Us
        • Our Mission
        • History
          • Leadership & Board of Directors
        • Job Openings
        • Partners
        • Experts
        • Financials
        • Join Us
        • Our Mission

          Your browser does not support the video tag.

          Ocean Conservancy is working with you to protect the ocean from today’s greatest global challenges. Together, we create evidence-based solutions for a healthy ocean and the wildlife and communities that depend on it.

  • Our Programs
        • Our Programs

        • Advancing Ocean Justice
          • Overview
        • Confronting Climate Change
          • Overview
          • Ocean Acidification
          • Global Shipping
          • Offshore Wind
          • Plastics & Climate
          • State Climate Action
          • Publications
          • Wildlife Library
        • Government Relations
          • Overview
        • Protecting Florida
          • Overview
          • Super Bowl 2020
          • Harmful Algal Blooms
          • Shores Forward
          • Miami CAP Report
          • Restoring The Gulf Of Mexico
          • Wildlife Library
        • Protecting the Arctic
          • Overview
          • Oil Spills
          • Safer Arctic Shipping
          • Risky Drilling
          • Issue Fact Sheets
          • Wildlife Library
          • Take a Deep Dive
          • Take the Pledge
        • Smart Ocean Planning
          • Overview
          • An Ocean of Jobs
          • Our Ocean at Work
          • Wildlife Library
          • Take A Deep Dive
        • Sustainable Fisheries
          • Overview
          • POSEIDON
          • Take A Deep Dive
          • Wildlife Library
        • Trash Free Seas
          • Overview
          • International Coastal Cleanup®
          • Plastics in the Ocean
          • Plastics & Climate
          • Outreach & Education
          • Boating Community
          • Wildlife Library
          • Take a Deep Dive
        • Our Mission

          Your browser does not support the video tag.

          Our work is focused on solving some of the greatest threats facing our ocean today. We bring people, science and policy together to champion innovative solutions and fight for a sustainable ocean.


        • View All Programs
  • The Latest
        • The Latest

        • Blog
        • In the News
        • Meet the Authors
        • Press Releases
        • Wildlife Library
        • Today's Highlights

          What is a Goosefish?
          Celebrating Black History on the Chesapeake Bay
          Exploring the World of Deep-Sea Octopuses
          Florida Campaign for #PlasticFreeCities Begins in Miami
        • View Blogs By Program
  • ! Take Action
        • Advocate
        • Trash Free Seas®
        • Climate Change
        • Marine Life
        • Arctic
        • Featured Actions

          Protect the Arctic from Future Oil Spills
          Combat the Ocean’s Biggest Threat
          Protect Our Ocean from Plastics
          Protect Our Ocean from Dirty, Dangerous Oil Spills

        • View All Actions
  • Search
  • Donate
        • Other Ways to Give

          Honor & Memorial Giving
          Honor A Loved One's Milestone Or Memory With A Donation In Their Name.
          Wills & Estate Planning
          Make A Lasting Impact By Leaving A Gift To Ocean Conservancy In Your Will. Learn More About Estate Planning. It’s Easy To Do.
          Renew Your Membership
          Your Generous Gift Will Help Us Continue To Protect Our Ocean And Its Wildlife.
        • View All the Ways YOU can Help
        • One-Time Gift

          One-Time Gift

          Donate Now
          Give Once
        • Monthly Giving

          Monthly Giving

          Go Monthly
          Give Monthly

        •  

          Have a Question? Call 800-519-1541








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.

Download the infographic → Responding to Arctic Shipping Oil Spills: Risks and Challenges


HFO-Free Arctic

Toxic and Deadly

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

Less Ice, More Ships = New Challenges

View Map

1

Overview

The Bering Strait

The sun's reflection on Arctic sea ice.
Silver / Adobe Stock
2

Ship Strikes and Underwater Noise

A WHALE DIVES UNDER WHILE AS A CARGO SHIP PASSES IN THE DISTANCE.
T_O_M_O / ADOBE STOCK
3

Heavy Fuel Oil

The bow of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy in the Beaufort Sea, northeast of Barrow, Alaska.
NASA/Kathryn Hansen
4

Shipping Emissions

RED OIL TANKER ANCHORED OFFSHORE AND RUNNING ITS ENGINES.
Panalot/Adobe Stock
5

At-Sea-Transfer of Fuel

A SHIP TO SHIP TRANSFER OF FUEL KNOWN AS "LIGHTERING."
ZUMA Press, Inc.
6

Sewage and Greywater Pollution

A LARGE TANKER SHIP PUMPING IS BILGE.
Sunsinger / Adobe Stock
7

No-Go Zones for Shipping

A "ROAD END" SIGN AT THE EDGE OF THE BERING SEA PACK ICE, NOME, ALASKA.
WorldFoto

Shipping in the Bering Strait Region

SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS

Container ship on sea ice.
Westend 61 / Getty Images

Improving shipping safety will help protect the Bering Strait for future generations.”

Janis Searles Jones, CEO Ocean Conservancy
© Get Credit!
— Janis Searles Jones, CEO Ocean Conservancy

Container ship on sea ice.
Westend 61 / Getty Images
MENU
Ship Strikes & Noise
Heavy Fuel Oil
Shipping Emissions