IMO Net Zero Shipping Framework: Extraordinary IMO Session Adjourned; Work Continues( continued from page 22)
Voting Dynamics and Member State Positions The April 2025 preliminary approval saw about 63 countries in favor, 16 opposed, and 24 abstentions. The opposing bloc included the United States, Saudi Arabia on behalf of Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Malaysia, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, the Russian Federation, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, Venezuela, and Yemen.
The approving group included the European Union, China, Japan, Brazil, and India, with expectations that Canada, the United Kingdom, South Korea, Singapore, Chile, and others would align in favor ahead of final adoption.
Unlike preliminary approval, final adoption requires a twothirds majority, making alignment among major flag States determinative. The United States’ October ultimatum may further shape coalition cohesion as Member States weigh potential costs and trade implications against the benefits of a unified global decarbonization regime.
Implications for EU and Regional Regimes IMO adoption of the NZF would have triggered reviews and possible adjustments to European Union measures governing maritime GHGs, including the Emissions Trading System and FuelEU Maritime regulation. With the NZF deferred, those regimes remain unchanged, and the industry continues to navigate a fragmented landscape of regional and national rules related to GHG emissions and marine fuels. This divergence complicates compliance planning, investment decisions, and supply chain operations across global routes.
What’ s Next for Industry Stakeholders? In the coming months, industry stakeholders including shipowners, charterers, fuel suppliers, shipbuilders, ports, and financial institutions, face continued uncertainty and should prepare for multiple scenarios. These include the potential of a single framework, whether it be the NZF as currently drafted or with significant amendments, or a patchwork of regional efforts if the NZF is ultimately not approved.
The Working Group’ s ongoing work is poised to refine critical elements of the NZF’ s implementation guidance, including lifecycle assessment methodologies, fuel certification protocols, data verification processes, and the design of reward and pricing mechanisms.
Simultaneously, U. S. efforts to shape the negotiations through trade, port, visa, and sanctions policy will inevitably influence consensus building. Stakeholders should remain engaged with IMO and Member State deliberations while tracking developments across regional regimes, particularly in the EU.
For companies beyond the shipping industry, the U. S. approach to the NZF reflects a broader pattern of leveraging international environmental issues to advance domestic industrial priorities and inform bilateral trade dynamics.
Conclusion The MEPC’ s decision to adjourn and reconvene in 12 months preserves the path toward a unified global maritime decarbonization framework, while acknowledging the geopolitical and technical complexities at play. With implementation work advancing at the Working Group and Member States engaged in intensive negotiations, the outcome will affect the trajectory of the maritime sector’ s climate transition, the coherence of global regulatory architecture, and the competitive landscape for shipping and its supply chain. In the meantime, the persistence of regional regimes and the prospect of trade linked responses underscore the need for careful strategic planning and sustained engagement across policy, operational, and investment horizons.
This article was first published in Law360 on November 24, 2025.
Reprinted with permission from Lexis Nexis © 2025, Portfolio Media, Inc. All rights reserved. Further duplication without permission is prohibited, contact reprints @ law360. com.
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