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A landmark pact to cut global shipping emissions failed to secure approval at the International Maritime Organization meeting in London on October 17
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Saudi Arabia tabled a motion to adjourn the talks for a year, to which the US and Russia agreed
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The US had earlier described the economic impacts from the pact as “disastrous” and threatened to impose sanctions on countries that would approve the measure
A landmark pact to cut global shipping emissions failed to secure approval at the International Maritime Organization (IMO) meeting in London on October 17.
The IMO agreed to adjourn the extraordinary session of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC), which was convened from October 14 to 17 to consider the adoption of draft amendments to International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) Annex VI, including the IMO Net-Zero Framework (NZF).
Saudi Arabia tabled a motion to adjourn the talks for a year, to which the US and Russia agreed. More than 100 countries attended the IMO meeting. The motion passed by just a handful of votes.
The US had raised concerns that the deal would lead to price rises for consumers, and had threatened sanctions on countries that would approve the pact. These sanctions include blocking vessels registered in those countries from US ports; imposing visa restrictions and higher fees for maritime crew members; commercial penalties stemming from US government contracts and/or other financial penalties on ships flagged under nations in favor of the NZF; imposing additional port fees on ships owned, operated, or flagged by countries supporting the NZF; and sanctions on officials sponsoring activist-driven climate policies.
“The economic impacts from this measure could be disastrous, with some estimates forecasting global shipping costs increasing as much as 10% or more,” according to an earlier statement signed jointly by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, and Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy.
READ: US to penalize signatories to IMO’s Net Zero Framework for shipping
The IMO Net-Zero Framework was approved at the MEPC 83 session in April 2025 after ten years of negotiations. It comprises a set of international regulations aimed at reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from ships, in line with IMO’s 2023 Strategy for Reduction of GHG Emissions from Ships. It includes two key elements: a global fuel standard and global GHG emissions pricing mechanism.
The pact would have seen shipping become the world’s first industry to adopt internationally mandated targets to reduce emissions.
The framework would have created the first global carbon pricing mechanism for any industrial sector with the aim of delivering a clear path for shipping’s transition to net zero.
In the interim, Member States will continue to work towards consensus on the IMO Net Zero Framework, IMO said in a statement.
Disappointment
In a statement, Thomas Kazakos, secretary-general of the International Chamber of Shipping, said : “We are disappointed that member states have not been able to agree a way forward at this meeting. Industry needs clarity to be able to make the investments needed to decarbonise the maritime sector, in line with the goals set out in the IMO GHG strategy.
“As an industry we will continue to work with the IMO, which is the best organisation to deliver the global regulations needed for a global industry.”
John Maggs, the Clean Shipping Coalition’s Representative at the IMO for his part said: “By delaying adoption of its Net Zero Framework, IMO has today squandered an important opportunity to tackle global shipping’s contribution to climate breakdown.
“With climate warming impacts being felt everywhere on Earth, kicking this decision down the road is simply evading reality. Governments serious about climate action must spend the next 12 months rallying every nation that supports the framework, convincing those who are on the fence, or opposing, that its adoption is the only sane way forward.”
Ralph Regenvanu, Minister for Climate Change, Energy, Meteorology, Geohazards, Environment and Disaster Management for the Republic of Vanuatu, said: “We came to London in reluctant support of the IMO’s Net-Zero Framework. While it lacks the ambition that climate science demands, it does mark a significant step. We regret that IMO members followed Singapore’s initial proposal to delay the adoption of the framework by 12 months, which Saudi Arabia called to a vote. This is unacceptable given the urgency we face in light of accelerating climate change. Moreover, the ICJ and ITLOS Advisory Opinions have made it crystal clear that taking climate action is not optional. But the IMO’s failure to adopt the framework this week marks a failure of this United Nations agency to act decisively on climate change. This makes the road to Bélem and beyond more difficult. But we know that we have international law on our side and will continue to fight for our people and the planet.”
