Rules for Maritime GHG Emissions Shelved For Now

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has delayed by one year its decision on establishing rules to cut greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from international maritime shipping, which contributes about 3% of total global emissions.

The decision to adjourn the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) and delay adoption of the Net-Zero Framework comes amid reports of pressure from the U.S., including threats of tariffs and other economic penalties against nations voting in favor of the rules.

European Executive Vice President Teresa Ribera criticized the decision in a Bluesky post, saying it had taken “years to build proposals to enhance committed clean shipping supporting decarbonisation, ocean health and innovation.”

Work on Net-Zero Framework Will Continue

The IMO’s Net-Zero Framework constitutes Annex VI of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL). MARPOL was adopted in 1973 to prevent accidental and operational pollution from marine shipping.

The Net-Zero Framework complements the IMO’s 2023 GHG Strategy and includes two main elements: a global fuel standard to reduce the pollution ships produce and a pricing mechanism for GHG emissions to encourage compliance with that standard. It applies to all oceangoing ships over 5,000 gross tonnage, which are responsible for 85% of GHG from shipping.

Under the framework, if a ship’s GHG emissions exceed its GHG fuel intensity (GFI) limits, the operator must offset the deficit by transferring surplus units banked from previous years or from other over-compliant ships, or by paying into the IMO Net-Zero Fund to support innovation, technology transfer, and mitigation efforts in vulnerable states. Ships that fully switch to zero-emission fuels can receive financial rewards.