1.
Overview
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has officially postponed for one year the vote on adopting the Net-Zero Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Framework, initially scheduled for adoption in 2025. The decision was confirmed following the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 82) session, which concluded that further work is needed to finalize a comprehensive regulatory structure enabling the IMO’s 2050 net-zero ambition.
The delay
highlights the continuing divergence among IMO Member States regarding the design and enforcement of a global
mechanism to reduce GHG emissions in shipping—particularly concerning the global fuel standard and carbon pricing mechanism proposed
under the 2023 IMO GHG Strategy.
2.
Context and Background
This postponement arises amid growing tension between developed and developing countries. While the first comprehensive draft of the Net-Zero Framework was expected to provide a unified global regime for maritime decarbonisation, negotiations revealed deep differences over:
-investment obligations for low- and zero-carbon technologies,
-the redistribution of revenues generated by regional carbon regimes (EU ETS, FuelEU Maritime, U.S. Clean Shipping initiatives), and
-the calibration of carbon-intensity indices (CII, EEXI) and future GHG pricing models.
According
to Lloyd’s List, the IMO remains committed to ensuring an equitable
and transparent pathway to decarbonisation but must first establish regulatory consistency and
investor confidence across member states.
3.
Implications for the Industry
The one-year delay affects the entire roadmap for decarbonisation within global shipping and shipbuilding sectors:
a) Shipowners and operators must reassess compliance timelines and financing models linked to IMO decisions.
b) Charterers and financiers will need to prepare for potential regional divergence in GHG frameworks and taxation.
c) Shipyards and designers should continue developing multi-fuel-ready and retrofit-capable solutions consistent with anticipated IMO standards.
d) Regulatory authorities are urged to monitor ISWG-GHG 20 outcomes and forthcoming web-based consultations to ensure alignment with upcoming rules.
e) The delay underscores the widening policy gap between international coordination and unilateral regulatory action at regional level.
4. Next
Steps
Further deliberations will continue at the Intersessional Working Group on GHG Emissions (ISWG-GHG 21), scheduled for March 2026, ahead of MEPC 83 (autumn 2026), which is now expected to serve as the formal adoption session for the Net-Zero Framework.
In parallel, stakeholders—including the World Bank, ICS, BIMCO, and classification societies—are conducting technical and financial
analyses of feasible carbon pricing mechanisms, with particular emphasis on
equitable distribution of decarbonisation costs.
Sources
- Lloyd’s List – Regulatory
Affairs Bulletin (17
October 2025): “IMO to delay Net-Zero Framework vote for one year.”
- Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 82) outcomes and IMO GHG Strategy documentation (2023–2025).
- https://lloydslist.com/LL1155147