IMO’s MEPC adjourns discussion on net-zero shipping for one year
17 October 2025
The International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) held its 2nd extraordinary session (MEPC/ES.2) in London from 14 to 17 October 2025. The discussions focused on the IMO Net-Zero Framework that would regulate carbon intensity of marine fuels by implementing a GHG emissions pricing mechanism.
On October 17th, MEPC/ES.2 voted to adjourn its extraordinary session for one year. A majority of 57 member states voted to adjourn the meeting for one year, while 49 voted to continue. The extraordinary session to consider the adoption of the Net-Zero Framework will be reconvened in October 2026.
The vote was likely affected by US President Trump, who sharply criticized the GHG emissions pricing mechanism considered under the Net-Zero Framework. “I am outraged that the International Maritime Organization is voting in London this week to pass a global Carbon Tax,” President Trump said in a Truth Social post. “The United States will NOT stand for this Global Green New Scam Tax on Shipping, and will not adhere to it in any way, shape, or form.”
The IMO Intersessional Working Group on the Reduction on Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Ships, scheduled to meet 20 to 24 October 2025, will go ahead to continue work on the guidelines for implementing the Net Zero Framework.
The IMO Net-Zero Framework was approved at the MEPC 83 session in April 2025, as a new Chapter 5 of the Draft Revised Annex VI of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL). It comprises a set of international regulations aimed at reducing GHG emissions from ships, in line with IMO’s 2023 GHG Strategy. It includes two key elements: a global fuel standard and global GHG emissions pricing mechanism.
Source: IMO