This document draws attention to the likelihood that only 30 per cent of the heavy fuel oil (HFO) being carried in Arctic waters and 16 per cent of the HFO being used in Arctic waters will be prohibited from 1 July 2024 when the provisions of MARPOL Annex I regulation 43A take effect. The limited impact of the prohibition on the use and carriage of HFO is highlighted as being due to exemptions which would apply to 22 per cent of ships and the opportunity for Arctic coastal nations to issue waivers to up to 53 per cent of ships operating in the Arctic (based on 2019 Arctic shipping patterns). It proposes that regulation 43A be amended to increase its effectiveness in protecting the Arctic from HFO.

This document outlines recent scientific evidence on the risks of triggering cascading climate tipping points from climate heating and makes recommendations for urgent near-term actions that will contribute to limiting global heating to below 1.5°C to mitigate these risks.

This document recalls MEPC’s commitment over eleven years ago at MEPC 62 to address the impact of Black Carbon emissions on the Arctic and outlines an approach to amend MARPOL Annex VI to incorporate a requirement for ships to only use marine distillate fuel or other cleaner alternative fuels or methods of propulsion that are safe for ships when operating in or near to the Arctic.

This document outlines how the discharge of wastes from Exhaust Gas Cleaning Systems (EGCS) into the marine environment as an alternative compliance mechanism for SOx emissions appears to raise issues of inconsistency with the law of the sea obligations of States to protect and preserve the marine environment, and the suggested steps to address the likely inconsistencies.