The United States has formally urged the International Maritime Organization to stop considering the IMO Net-Zero Framework and shift attention to alternative proposals on shipping emissions.
In a position paper submitted on 6 March 2026 to the Marine Environment Protection Committee, the US said member states should end consideration of the current proposal and decide against resuming the second extraordinary session of the MEPC, which is adjourned until November 2026.
The submission sets out a non-punitive approach to maritime emissions policy. It rejects any carbon tax, levy, multilateral fund or similar financial mechanism. It also opposes penalties or limits on fuel types and calls for the withdrawal or phaseout of existing regional shipping emissions reduction schemes, including the European Union’s ETS.
The US said the proposed amendments to MARPOL Annex VI, approved at MEPC 83 in April 2025, could bring serious economic consequences for shipping, energy producers and consumers. It also argued that the framework would encourage the use of expensive, unproven and unavailable fuels instead of technologies already used by the global fleet.
For any future discussions on reducing greenhouse gas emissions from shipping, the US said a different set of principles would be needed. Its paper calls for what it describes as an “energy-all” approach, with no restrictions on conventional fuels, LNG, nuclear, biomass-based fuels or other marine propulsion technologies. It also says proposals should remove penalties on LNG, treat biofuels as viable marine fuels and support industry-led progress without using regulation to choose specific technologies.
The submission also says member states and regional organizations should terminate regional schemes to avoid overlapping regulatory systems. In addition, it argues that any future measure should use an explicit acceptance procedure for entry into force rather than tacit acceptance.
The latest US move follows the IMO decision in October 2025 to delay adoption of the Net-Zero Framework by one year after US-led opposition. Separately, the Union of Greek Shipowners said the current draft does not offer an appropriate solution and pointed to the lack of support from major and
