Marine Environmental Protection in the Arctic: The issue of heavy fuel oil and possible solutions

• Main Author: Magnús Valur Axelsson 1991-
• Other Authors: Háskólinn á Akureyri
• Format: Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: 2014
• Subjects: Lögfræði; Norður-Íshaf; Olíumengun; Umhverfisvernd; Arctic; Antarctic; The Antarctic; Arctic Ocean; Sigla; Antarc*; Norður-Íshafið; Sea ice
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/1946/19168

Læst til 1.5.2030 The Arctic is warming fast, about twice as fast as anywhere else on earth. Increased temperature is melting the sea ice which eventually will lead to the opening of the Arctic Ocean. Within a few years, ships operating on heavy fuel oil will be sailing through the Arctic Ocean. Heavy fuel oil is believed to have more severe effects on the environment than other types of oil. The Arctic marine environment is special because it presents a set of spill response and recovery challenges that are uncommon in other parts of the world. Under current regulatory framework, the use and carriage of heavy fuel oil is allowed in the Arctic. In the Antarctic, the use and carriage of heavy fuel oil has already been prohibited. Changing conditions in the Arctic call for new rules to preserve and protect the marine environment in the phase of expanding marine activities. The object of this paper is to show why there is a need for new rules to protect the Arctic marine environment from heavy fuel oil and also how such rules could be made. The discussion is timely because the International Maritime Organization recently released a draft of a mandatory Polar Code, which will apply to polar waters, where the use and carriage of heavy fuel oil is not specifically regulated. The decision has received some support, but it has also been substantially criticized. Mikil hlýnun hefur átt sér stað á norðurslóðum á undanförnum árum. Hækkandi hitastig veldur því að hafísinn er að bráðna sem mun leiða til þess að Norður-Íshafið opnast. Innan fárra ára munu því skip, sem keyrð eru áfram á svartolíu, sigla um hið viðkvæma Norður-Íshaf. Svartolía er talin hafa skaðlegri áhrif á umhverfið heldur en annars konar olía, auk þess sem sérstaklega erfitt gæti reynst að hreinsa upp eftir olíuslys í hinum harðneskjulegu aðstæðum norðurslóða. Í núgildandi regluverki eru engar reglur sem taka sérstaklega til notkunar og flutnings svartolíu á norðurslóðum. Vegna aukinna umsvifa á svæðinu er þó nauðsynlegt að setja stífari reglur en nú ...