Nunavut Inuit Group joins call for Arctic ban on heavy fuel oil

The Nunavut-wide Inuit organization Nunavut Tunngavik Inc., has joined in the push for Canada to ban heavy fuel oil (HFO) from its Arctic waters, according to Nunatsiaq News.

Concern over HFO’s impacts prompted a resolution passed on Oct. 25 at NTI’s annual general meeting, where delegates supported a resolution calling on the Government of Canada to ban “the use, carriage and transportation” of HFO in Arctic waters.

With this, the NTI joins an increasingly strong international call to ban HFO from Arctic waters that also has the IMO on board. The International Maritime Organization, the United Nations agency responsible for the safety and security of shipping and pollution by ships, is aiming to see the adoption of the HFO ban in 2021, and phase-in by 2023.