The International Arctic Organization ( IMO ) is considering a ban on the use of heavy fuels for shipping in Arctic waters . Clean Arctic Alliance has welcomed the move , which was agreed to by members of the IMO 's Marine Environment Protection Committee in 2014 , and co - sponsored by Finland , Germany , Iceland , the Netherlands , New Zealand , Norway , turkey and the US . If proposed , it would ban the export of heavy fuel oil ( HFO ) , which the alliance described as the " world 's dirtiest fuel " , by 2021 . Several countries also submitted a proposal to assess the impact of the ban on Arctic communities .
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) is considering a ban on the use of heavy fuels for shipping in Arctic waters. Clean Arctic Alliance has welcomed the move, which was agreed to by members of the IMO's Marine Environment Protection Committee in April, and co-sponsored by Finland, Germany, Iceland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden and the US. If implemented, it would ban the use of heavy fuel oil (HFO), which the alliance described as the "world's dirtiest fuel", by 2021. Several countries also supported a proposal to assess the impact of the ban on Arctic communities.