Dr. Sian Prior Questions Arctic Navigation Due to Black Carbon Emissions

Following reports indicating that the Liberian-flagged container ship Dubai Tower departed from the Port of Ningbo, China, in an attempt to cross the Northern Sea Route through the Arctic, and the news that South Korean company PanStar purchased a ship for an imminent similar voyage, Dr. Sian Prior, lead advisor for the Clean Arctic Alliance, issued a strong criticism to express her concern about the impact on indigenous communities and wildlife, as well as an increase in climate impact, greater pollution, and further loss of biodiversity.

"Black carbon emissions, a potent short-lived climate forcer resulting from the burning of marine fossil fuels, will lead to further climate warming and accelerate the melting and loss of both sea ice and land ice when it is deposited out of the atmosphere," stated Prior.

When black carbon falls on sea ice, it accelerates its melting, a crucial process in the natural climate cycle. Arctic sea ice acts as the planet's refrigerator, controlling its temperature. The extent of Arctic sea ice is currently at its eighth lowest level on record, and there is still a month until the autumn equinox.

"The use of LNG to power shipping is not a suitable alternative fuel due to the methane emissions associated with its entire life cycle. Methane is also a potent short-lived climate forcer that contributes to global warming. Other sources of marine pollution, such as oil and sewage spills and increased underwater noise, will harm the overall health of the Arctic Ocean and also affect Arctic indigenous communities who depend on Arctic resources for their food," noted the lead advisor for the Clean Arctic Alliance.

The Dubai Tower, operated by the Chinese company Sea Legend, is expected to arrive at the Port of Felixstowe, UK, on September 7, after which it will call at Hamburg, Germany, and Gdynia, Poland.

"Recent IMO regulations to reduce the use of heavy fuel oil in the Arctic and the designation of the North-East Atlantic Emission Control Area (ECA), adopted by the IMO on May 1 this year, are positive steps to reduce the risks of oil spills and emissions of atmospheric pollutants SOx and NOx, but they will not adequately address the black carbon emissions that cause global warming in the Arctic," declared Dr. Prior.

A proposal on polar fuels, co-sponsored by Denmark, Germany, France, and the Solomon Islands, is currently on the table at the International Maritime Organization (IMO), and the Clean Arctic Alliance calls for other countries to support it and for it to be applied within the area used as the basis for the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP) of the Arctic Council.