IMO opens global talks to secure net-zero deal for shipping

The International Maritime Organization opened a critical round of negotiations aimed at finalizing new binding regulations to steer international shipping towards net-zero emissions over the next 25 years. 

Speaking at the opening of the 83rd session of the Marine Environment Protection Committee April 7 in London, IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez welcomed the progress made towards agreement on the draft IMO Net-Zero Framework, which will bolster maritime action on climate change. 

This includes proposed regulations for mandatory reductions in ships’ greenhouse-gas (GHG) fuel intensity, a global emissions-pricing mechanism, and the establishment of an IMO Net-Zero Fund.

The fund would incentivize the use of zero and near-zero emission fuels and technologies, while also supporting developing countries through promoting a just and equitable transition. 

These measures will be included in Annex VI (prevention of air pollution from ships) of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL), which covers 97 percent of the world’s merchant shipping fleet by tonnage. 

“I have no doubt you will achieve the necessary compromise so that, by the end of the week, we can take another significant step forward in delivering the goals of the IMO GHG strategy,” Dominguez told more than 1,200 international delegates.

He praised member states for their efforts to find common ground while noting that key issues remain under negotiation. 

“The work is not yet done,” he said. “But we are nearly there—and I am sure in the coming days we will reach that point. What we do here will have a global impact on an industry that continues to demonstrate its essential role in the world.”

Talks continue through April 11, with a draft legal text expected to be approved by the end of the session.

Following the legal processes for amending the MARPOL treaty, the draft amendments would then be circulated to parties to MARPOL Annex VI and all IMO members for adoption in October at an extraordinary session of the committee. 

On April 7, MEPC 83 took the following actions: 

• Adopted a new 2025 action plan to combat marine plastic litter from ships. 

• Approved interim guidance on the carriage of blends of biofuels and MARPOL Annex I cargoes by conventional bunker ships.  

• Approved guidance on in-water cleaning of ships’ biofouling.  

• Adopted amendments to the 2023 guidelines for the development of the inventory of hazardous materials. 

Throughout the week, the committee will consider other key environmental issues, including the establishment of new emissions-control areas and particularly sensitive sea areas for marine protection, and the continuation of the review of the ballast water management convention.