A meeting of the IMO Council this week heard countries from all sides of the vote that deferred the IMO Net-Zero Framework by a year declare their willingness to use the delay ‘effectively’ to build a consensus on the measures aimed at reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from international shipping. Although any formal decision on the next steps for the Net-Zero Framework is not expected until the IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) meets again for its regular session in April, the Council provided an opportunity for member states to share comments on the outcome of the extraordinary MEPC session […]

The Environmental Defense Fund, Pacific Environment, Seas At Risk, Solutions for Our Climate, and Transport & Environment have urged national governments to accelerate action to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from shipping, following the postponement of a binding global measure at the International Maritime Organization (IMO). ‘While Member States continue negotiations on the [IMO Net-Zero Framework], national governments must step up and act domestically and regionally to keep the transition on course, ensuring investment, infrastructure, and innovation continue to drive the industry forward,’ the five environmental NGOs said in a joint statement on Energy and Transport Day at COP30 today […]

The decision to postpone the IMO Net-Zero Framework by a year cannot be solely blamed on pressure from the United States, and countries’ voting decisions were primarily driven by economic concerns, the Chair of the IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) Harry Conway has told ship.energy. ‘What I think was the driving force behind the delay is basically each country taking their economic interests into consideration,’ he said in an interview on the sidelines of a presentation at University College London (UCL) yesterday (12 November). ‘Yes, there may have been U.S. pressure, however, countries’ decisions to vote the way they […]