Responding to reports from EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service that global sea ice cover reached a record low in February, the Clean Arctic Alliance called on the International Maritime Organization and the shipping sector to slash black carbon emissions from shipping in the Arctic region.

“With the Arctic warming four times faster than the rest of the planet, and global sea ice hitting a record low, the IMO and its member states must take urgent action to arrest the increasing emissions of black carbon from the shipping sector”, said Dr Sian Prior, Lead Advisor to the Clean Arctic Alliance. “If all shipping currently still using heavy fuel oils while in the Arctic were to switch to cleaner distillate fuel, there would be an immediate reduction in black carbon emissions from these ships. If diesel particulate filters were installed on board all Arctic vessels, black carbon emissions from shipping could be reduced by over 90%”.

“IMO Member States must urgently take steps to develop a new regulation in Annex VI of the MARPOL Convention – the international convention which regulates discharges and emissions from ships, in order to address one of the longest running issues on the IMO’s agenda – reducing the impact of black carbon emissions on the Arctic”, said Prior. “This new rule must mean that only polar fuels – fuels that result in low or zero emissions of black carbon – can be used in and near to the Arctic.”

“The good news is at a recent meeting of the IMO’s Pollution Prevention and Response sub-committee in January (PPR 12), the marine fuel industry set out the fuel quality characteristics of distillate grade fuels such as DMA which should replace the current use of residual fuels in the Arctic and lower ship black carbon emissions”, said Bill Hemmings, Black Carbon Advisor to the Clean Arctic Alliance. “These characteristics could form the basis of a new mandatory IMO regulation. Furthermore it was made clear that these fuels – dubbed ‘polar fuels’ – are both readily and widely available globally and far easier to clean up if spilt than residual fuels. This is a significant step forwards to a definition of polar fuels, which should also include low or zero carbon fuels being developed to reduce ship GHG emissions, and can finally lead to real cuts in shipping’s climate impacts on the Arctic.”

Black carbon will be addressed next by the IMO at PPR 13, likely in early 2026.