Posted on May 4, 2026
Delegates at this year’s International Maritime Organization’s MEPC 84 meeting hope to reach agreement on a Net Zero Framework (NZF) for global shipping after failure at October’s meeting.
The drive for agreement comes despite the White House sending FMC chair Laura DiBella to reinforce US opposition to decarbonisation.
Yesterday, IMO secretary-general Arsenio Dominguez opened the 84th session of the Marine Environment Protection Committee, urging delegates to “engage in constructive and pragmatic exchanges” to make “meaningful progress” on the IMO NZF for shipping.
He said: “There is no need to argue. We are adult enough to agree to disagree. There is no reason to repeat what happened last October.
“Let us move forward where we agree, and continue to elaborate where further work and understanding is required. At a time where there is already enough disagreement around the world, I ask that we can set an example of effective multilateralism.”
In October, voting on IMO decarbonisation measures, 57 member states voted to adjourn the decision for a year, while 49 voted to continue. This followed the Trump administration’s threat that countries voting for the net zero framework to decarbonise shipping could face sanctions.
This MEPC meeting represents a critical inflection point, to determine if the NZF can move forward in a weakened state, or be abandoned.
The global conversation around fossil fuels has shifted massively since October, and it is yet to be seen if the outcome of MEPC 84 will be swayed by the tensions in the Strait of Hormuz and subsequent risks of continued fossil fuel dependence.
A joint statement from Bimco, Clia, ICS, Intercargo Interferry, Intertanko, and WSC – all representing the global commercial shipping fleet – urged the “vital importance” of IMO member states agreeing a way forward.
It said: “Noting that decarbonisation of the maritime sector is a multi-stakeholder endeavour, which cannot be achieved by shipowners alone, the industry stands by the IMO and is committed to providing meaningful and constructive input to assist IMO member states in developing fit-for-purpose regulations to deliver the strategic vision of the organisation.”
Meanwhile, the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) announced yesterday that its chairman, Laura DiBella, had joined the US delegation to the IMO for MEPC 84 to reinforce US opposition to the NZF, adding: “The NZF is plainly an unnecessary tax on US shippers and vessels operating in international waters. The NZF would cost the maritime industry billions of dollars annually. As the largest consumer of imported goods, these costs will be directly passed onto US consumers.”
But the US stance has met with some resistance from climate activists who gathered in London outside the IMO HQ to protest, a move “designed to ensure every delegate enters the building under public scrutiny at a defining moment for global climate policy”, said Glasgow Actions Team.
It’s director, Andrew Nazdin, added: “The only beneficiaries of Trump’s foreign policy of chaos are the same oil executives he invited to Mar-a-Lago for fundraising dinners – and the rest of us are stuck with instability, war, and price spikes.
“Countries like Greece and Cyprus need to decide if they really want to align themselves with Trump and the other petrostates, or if they’re ready to say ‘enough is enough’,” Mr Nazdin concluded.
