Shipping: IMO’s Net Zero Framework Progresses but ENGOs Slam Unnecessary Delay

LONDON: As this last meeting of the International Maritime Organization’s Marine Environment Protection Committee (IMO, MEPC 84, April 27-May 1) closd, the Clean Shipping Coalition welcomed support from the majority of member states for the IMO’s Net-Zero Framework (NZF) despite pressure from US, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Panama, Liberia, and other petro-states, but called out the threat of further delays to adoption, which is now scheduled for early December.

The NZF will be discussed at two IMO intercessional meetings, one in September and another immediately prior to December’s MEPC 85, which will itself immediately precede a resumed Extraordinary Session 2, during which the NZF is scheduled for adoption.

“Most IMO member states have demonstrated support for the Net-Zero Framework, with many calling for its urgent adoption”, said Delaine McCullough, President of the Clean Shipping Coalition and Ocean Conservancy’s Shipping Program Director. “Clearly, the NZF must be adopted as soon as possible, without interference from those who would seek to undermine or slow the process. Any further delay to the NZF is unacceptable – it already represents years of negotiation and consensus – the IMO has no other option capable of meeting goals of its own GHG Strategy or attracting wider support.”

Net Zero Framework
The IMO’s Net-Zero Framework is aimed at reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from ships, in line with the 2023 GHG Strategy. The NZF includes a global fuel standard (GFS), requiring ships “to gradually reduce how polluting its ship fuel can be (i.e. how much greenhouse gas is emitted for each unit of energy used, across a fuel’s life cycle)”. It also includes a mechanism for setting prices on the GHGs ships emit, to encourage the shipping industry to lower emissions as per the global fuel standard.

“We welcome the news that the Net-Zero Framework remains on the table. It’s a critical foundation for decarbonising shipping”, said Anaïs Rios, Senior Shipping Policy Officer, Seas At Risk. “But what started off as a legitimate framework, with a carbon pricing at its core for a chance at a just transition, has been weakened along the way. Recent events have exposed the truth. Our dependence on fossil fuels is not just a climate risk, it’s an economic and geopolitical liability. However, solutions already exist: Wind propulsion can cut emissions today and ease the reliance on scarce and expensive new fuels. Shipping must play its fair share, and countries must do the same.”

“It is a relief that the Net Zero Framework survived, but we cannot let delays become the new norm. Now is not the time for setting up compromises that water down the deal or to kick the can down the road”, said Felix Klann, Shipping Policy Officer at Transport & Environment. “At the same time, the IMO cannot lose track of its technical work. It will determine whether future fuels and technologies are truly sustainable just shift emissions away from ship to shore.”

“The USA and their allied petrostates weren’t successful in stopping climate negotiations at the IMO,” says Lukas Leppert, Policy Officer at NABU. “However, they obstruct final adoption of necessary and agreed measures. The IMO must adopt the Net-Zero Framework by 2026. Neither the industry nor our planet can afford to bear the consequences of further delays: rising costs of an already costly transformation, and the escalating threats of global warming.”

“The IMO’s Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) guidelines, which will determine well-to-wake emissions and sustainability criteria for global marine fuels, continued to advance”, said Andrew Dumbrille, Co-Director of Equal Routes. “Preventing the sector from becoming trapped by methane dependency, or from embracing dead-end fuels like LNG, requires that the guidelines incorporate on-the-ground emissions data, ecological considerations, and the rights of affected communities.”

Emission Control Area Adopted
“The world’s biggest emission control area will come into effect from September 2027 – great news for the environment, people’s health and the climate”, said Sönke Diesener, Senior Policy Officer at NABU. “It is encouraging that coastal states have not gotten distracted by the postponement after last October’s turbulent IMO meeting. The new ECA will connect existing European and North American ECAs, delivering a huge sea area where low sulphur fuels and cleaner technologies must be deployed. 

“We encourage the inclusion of the remaining EU waters to deliver the same standards of air pollution regulation and likewise a level playing field for industry”, said Diesener. “Moreover we urge policy makers worldwide to include air pollution reduction in maritime strategies to benefit people and nature. As assessment studies show again and again the costs are marginal and outpaced multi times by health costs and environmental damage savings.” 

Underwater Noise
“We welcome progress on Underwater Radiated Noise (URN) regulation toward a clearer policy roadmap to reduce shipping’s impacts on biodiversity, alongside the advancement of the IMO’s Life Cycle Assessment guidelines, which aim to account for full life-cycle emissions and sustainability criteria for marine fuels”, said Elissama Menezes, Co-Director of Equal Routes. “To be effective, shipping regulations must align with real-world emissions, biodiversity impacts, and human rights considerations. Without a nexus approach, the sector risks worsening the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution.”

Marine Litter
“The mandate given by MEPC 84 to develop a plastics code marks another important step forward in binding measures to prevent plastic pellet pollution during maritime transport. Plastic pellets are a transboundary source of pollution, and the global community is relying on the IMO to prevent their release and harm,” said EIA Legal and Policy Specialist, Amy Youngman. “Governments have consistently recognised the serious and irreversible damage these pellets cause in the marine environment. But while we continue to move forward, obstruction and delay tactics from a few are making this process more challenging than it needs to be. Plastic pollution harms everyone. The majority must now turn this momentum into decisive action and deliver robust, binding rules without delay.”

“We are calling for urgent action on the most harmful form of marine plastic pollution, abandoned, lost, or otherwise discarded fishing gear (ALDFG), in order to fulfil IMO’s commitment to prevent marine plastic litter from ships”, said Hannah Pragnell-Raasch, Global Policy Lead, Global Ghost Gear Initiative, Ocean Conservancy. “As such, we welcome MEPC 84’s adoption of the circular on fishing gear marking as an important initial step forward on this critical body of work. However, we are disappointed that no adequate time was afforded to meaningfully consider and advance proposals on fishing gear despite the support from numerous Member States. As we now prepare for PPR 14, we reiterate the need to develop mandatory goal-based gear-marking and lost gear reporting together in order to be effective within a comprehensive governance framework that includes mandatory global measures”.