The IMO’s Arctic HFO Regulation will not protect the Arctic for nearly a decade.

Waivers will undermine the International Maritime Organization's Arctic heavy fuel oil ban.

Infographic: Heavy Fuel Oil Spills - Case Studies of a Global Problem

The IMO's draft ban on heavy fuel in the Arctic risks being a "paper ban" devoid of meaningful protection of the Arctic.

Heavy fuel oil (HFO) is shipping's dirtiest fuel - almost impossible to clean up following a spill, and produces high levels of pollution when used by ships. The Arctic is warming at twice the global average. Between 2015 and 2019, HFO use in the Arctic increased 75%. This infographic demonstrates how HFO has no place in the Arctic.

Indigenous leaders are highlighting heavy fuel oil (HFO) and the potential impacts to food security, culture, and ways of life for communities in a changing Arctic.

Infographic detailing the environmental and social impacts of a HFO spill; the economic impacts of a ban on HFO in the Arctic.

This infographic details how many ship operating in the Arctic use heavy fuel oil (HFO) – the residual waste of the petroleum refining process. It is extremely viscous and virtually impossible to clean up in the case of a spill. It also looks at Black Carbon, a critical contributor to human-induced climate warming, especially in the Arctic. The combustion of heavy fuel oil produces high levels of Black Carbon.

Given the severe risks associated with HFO, the international shipping community banned its use and carriage by ships around Antarctica in 2011. A ban on HFO in the Arctic was considered in 2013 during the deliberations on the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Polar Code, but while some member states were supportive, no consensus was reached. In April 2018, agreement was reached to develop a ban. Now, in 2019, with an Arctic HFO ban on the way - and this infographic charts the progress so far.