MOSCOW, July 1. /TASS/. The ban on heavy fuel oil as the fuel in the Arctic will facilitate transition of navigation to liquefied natural gas and construction of ships with dual fuel engines, experts questioned by TASS said.

The resolution of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) banning heavy fuel oil use as the fuel for ships operating in Arctic seawaters came into force on July 1, 2024. The requirement has the five-year transitional period until July 1, 2029. The ban does not cover twin-hull craft, search and rescue vessels and vessels designed for oil spill response.

"It is critical to solve the problem of the transition from heavy fuel oil to the use of liquefied natural gas (LNG) by July 1, 2029 for development of Arctic navigation and the economy of the northern Russian regions, particularly considering severe and not always predictable ice conditions in the Arctic, to construction of ships with engines capable to run on LNG and on heavy fuel oil. Norilsk Nickel attempted proactively to start building such Arctic ships in advance but sanctions rendered implementation of this project impossible. Therefore, the opportunity of building ships with dual fuel engines is an important challenge for development of Arctic navigation and its technological independence," head of the Center of Responsible Nature Use Evgeny Shvarts said.

The time until 2029 can be used for further conversion of ships to natural gas, executive director of the Earth Concerns Everyone project Vladimir Chuprov said. "The most important is lowered probability of accidents with such fuel hazardous by environmental consequences as a result of spills as heavy fuel oil," Chuprov said.

Introduction of this requirement is an important steps in terms of mitigating environmental risks, particularly amid growing intensity of navigation in the Arctic because heavy fuel oil spills adversely affect marine ecosystems, President of the National Association for prevention and response to oil spills Olga Mishina said.

"It is necessary to solve the issue of using modern and more eco-friendly energy types than fuel oil in Arctic navigation. LNG can be viewed as the main alternative to heavy fuel oil. At the same time, the infrastructure for the transition to more environment friendly fuel types has not been created in Russia yet. It is obvious that an optimal balance should be found between requirements to provision of environmental safety in the Arctic area and economic feasibility," she added.