Heavy fuel oil banned in the Antarctic

January 2012

An International Maritime Organization (IMO) ban on the carriage of heavy grade oils as cargo or fuel in the Antarctic area was adopted at a meeting of the IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) in March and will come into effect on 1 August 2011. The decision bans the carriage or use of crude oils and other types of heavy oils having a density at 15°C higher than 900 kg/m3, as well as the carriage of bitumen, tar and their emulsions.

Source: Sustainable Shipping News, 26 March 2010.

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