IMO seeks Net-Zero Framework deal as support grows for GHG standards

Senior officials at the International Maritime Organization (IMO) are working towards a compromise on the Net-Zero Framework, with a growing consensus emerging around regulating greenhouse gas emissions intensity in marine energy, a spokesperson said on October 13. In October 2025, member states decided to postpone the framework's adoption by a year due to strong opposition from the United States and Middle Eastern oil producers, who argued that the framework would lead to inflation by adding a cost to greenhouse gas emissions from ship operations for various reasons.

However, the spokesperson stressed that the opposition did not equate to a rejection of the IMO process itself, as the US and major oil-producing countries would continue to participate in future negotiations.

The US, which rejected the Net-Zero Framework due to its perception of it as a form of carbon tax proposal, has remained present in recent IMO discussions while signaling support for revisions that remove more mandatory financial elements in the regulation. Similarly, Saudi state carrier Bahri has advocated for technology-driven decarbonization in shipping, emphasizing the importance of maintaining global seaborne trade reliability.

At the WPC Energy Congress on October 23, Bahri CEO Ahmed Ali Alsubaey stated that while decarbonization is inevitable, the key question is how to achieve it without disrupting global trade.

The current framework includes technical measures, such as thresholds for marine energy's greenhouse gas intensity in the coming years, and economic measures, including financial costs for ship emissions exceeding these thresholds. Lost-Sieminska confirmed that member states are in agreement on the need for technical measures, but uncertainty remains regarding the economic measures.

Many analysts and environmentalists argue that a robust carbon price mechanism is necessary to promote a low-carbon bunker transition across the industry, as sustainable marine fuels are significantly more expensive than conventional, oil-based bunker fuels due to their limited availability.

As negotiations continue, Lost-Sieminska expressed strong belief in finding a compromise solution that avoids regional solutions and fragmentation, emphasizing the need for a global framework. Karrie Trauth, president of the UK Chamber of Shipping and Shell's shipping head, echoed this sentiment, stating that shipowners would prefer a global compromise over a fragmented regional framework.