When IMO delegates gathered in London to finalise their previously approved Net Zero Framework (NZF), “business as usual” was nowhere to be seen. Read BSM CEO Sebastian von Hardenberg’s take on the outcomes of last month’s extraordinary session of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC).
Published on 02 Dec 2025
One participant close to us described the plenary proceedings as “unprecedented” and “at times tumultuous”. It wasn’t just about the mechanics of the proposal — politics played a significant role, to say the least. In the end, a motion to postpone the finalisation of the IMO NZF by one year carried the day.
Together with our principals, the ship owners, we ship managers had hoped for a single, globally applicable ruleset to meet the strategic objectives of the 2023 IMO GHG Strategy — one that could be implemented smoothly and with minimal administrative burden.
Ship owners require clear and predictable rules to guide their investment decisions. Likewise, ship managers should not be burdened with administering a patchwork of regional regulations that aim for the same goal yet remain unaligned — each with differing definitions, timelines, mechanisms, and, too often, overlapping levies without coordination or an overall cap. This situation benefits no one.
One participant close to us described the plenary proceedings as “unprecedented” and “at times tumultuous.” It wasn’t just about the mechanics of the proposal — politics played a significant role, to say the least. In the end, a motion to postpone the finalisation of the IMO NZF by one year carried the day.
On one hand, the outcome in London is disappointing. It prolongs uncertainty for ship owners ready to order new vessels but waiting for regulatory clarity. Meanwhile, ship managers must continue navigating multiple regional rules — with the risk of even more proliferating.
On the other hand, the pause presents an opportunity to refine the proposal. The industry needs a clearer definition of the future IMO compliance framework, particularly given that the NZF would channel substantial financial flows through the IMO. Such financial responsibility demands robust foundations.
Importantly, several industry requests were heard — particularly from certain EU IMO member states — and can now hopefully be debated and addressed constructively. Key points include the role of LNG, appropriate timelines and thresholds, and ensuring that funds generated under the NZF to a certain extend flow back into supporting investment in alternative-fuel technologies and infrastructure.
From the perspective of a ship manager, we can only hope that this extra time leads to meaningful improvement — and ultimately to a framework that is fair, practical, and effective in guiding shipping’s decarbonisation journey. The rest as they say will then be “politics”.
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