This week's session in London of the Marine Environment Protection Committee of the International Maritime Organization, considered by many parts of the shipping industry and political and environmental organisations crucial to agreeing on a Global Strategy for the Decarbonisation of the Maritime Sector also in view of the support received from the Member States members of the IMO in the last April session with the declaration of 63 votes in favour of the proposal and 16 against, concluded today with the approval, with 57 states in favour, 49 against and 21 abstentions, of a motion tabled by Singapore and submitted to the vote by Saudi Arabia for the postponement of the vote by one year adoption of the Net-Zero Framework (NZF), the framework that would introduce binding targets to reduce the intensity of carbon in fuels used by ships.

The postponement was met with disappointment from the international shipowners' association ICS: "we are - said the secretary general this evening of the International Chamber of Shipping, Thomas A. Kazakos - for the Member States were unable to agree on a way forward. The industry needs clarity to be able to make the necessary investments to decarbonize maritime sector, in line with the objectives set out in the IMO GHG strategy. As an industry, we will continue to collaborate with the IMO, which is the best organisation to define the global regulations necessary for a global industry".

Regret for the postponement was also expressed European Shipowners Association - ECSA. Remembering that the Net-Zero Framework aims to create the first Global Carbon Pricing Mechanism for any industrial sector, with the aim of tracing a clear path for the transition of maritime transport to zero-emission emissions, and that the adoption of the agreement at the IMO is key to achieving the transition of the international shipping towards net-zero emissions and to ensure a level playing field at international level, the secretary general of the association, Sotiris Raptis, also underlined that the IMO's Net-Zero Framework is essential to give the industry the certainty it needs and to send a strong signal to the market to produce the clean fuels needed to reach the goal of zero net emissions. Maritime transport - added Raptis - is An international industry that needs stringent regulations global decarbonization. Comprehensive regulation is essential to ensure a level playing field at the and to achieve the energy transition of the international sea transport. We will continue - he concluded Raptis - to work with our international partners to Ensuring agreement on the Net-Zero framework of the IMO".

The European Transport & Environment (T&E) Association, promoting the decarbonisation of the transport sector, has highlighted that this week's MEPC meeting was weighed the threat posed by the US administration in the those States that had decided to vote in favour of the of the Net-Zero Framework ( of 13 October 2025), but also the "week of pressure and delaying tactics by the United States, Saudi Arabia and several other countries". Commenting on the vote for the postponement, Alison Shaw, Head of T&E at the IMO, noted that 'the Extension leaves the maritime sector at the mercy of uncertainty. But- he pointed out - this week has also shown that there is a clear desire to clean up the sector, despite the arrogance of the United States. The world cannot allow intimidation and vested interests determine the pace of action for the climate. Climate-ambitious countries need to take advantage of the this moment to build a strong majority in support of a significant decarbonization. They will benefit of tomorrow's economy, not the geopolitical power games of the past".

Complaining that the postponement will shift the vote for adoption of the framework at the next session in October 2026, with the risk of that the agreement, even if adopted in a year's time, does not enter into force before 2030, however, T&E has urged IMO states to not abandon their ambitions for the NZF, taking advantage of this additional time frame as an opportunity to strengthen regulatory framework and ensure that it produces tangible emission reductions. According to the association environmentalist, in fact, it is necessary to develop measures such as the introduction of clear incentives for fuels and safeguards to prevent First-generation biofuels cause deforestation.

Less clear-cut, but certainly allusive, is the comment of the Global Maritime Forum, the international organization that aims to define strategies for the future of maritime transport, according to which 'the Member States that had reached a decisive agreement on the have faced extraordinary policy challenges for its adoption". "Today's update - said Jesse Fahnestock, director for the decarbonization of the Global Maritime Forum - a disappointing setback for maritime transport, but not the end of this path. The postponement of a whole year creates serious difficulties in complying with the deadlines of the Net-Zero Framework agreed in April and will make it possible to even more difficult to achieve the objectives of decarbonization of the sector. We encourage Member States that agreed on the framework in April to reaffirm their commitment to multilateralism and to continue the urgent work of developing guidelines and the adoption of a regulatory framework capable of deliver on the unanimously agreed GHG strategy by the IMO".

Less discouraged, indeed not at all, the reaction of Intertanko, The International Association of Ship Fleet Owners tanker: the postponement - said the general manager Tim Wilkins - "gives us time to improve the picture Single Maritime Regulation to Reduce Emissions Maritime. Let's take this opportunity to work in a and address ambiguities and concerns linked to the NZF raised by the members of Intertanko". The association reiterated its position on the strategy of decarbonisation of shipping, which will have to be defined in an improved proposal that takes into account the trajectories and and thresholds for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, a system of Certification of sustainable fuels harmonised and approved in accordance with the establishment of emission factors scientifically valid predefined standards, the methodology of Life cycle assessment to calculate the intensity of greenhouse gases and the recognition of non-renewable energy sources and the related methodology for carbon credits. "There is a misconception," Wilkins concluded, "according to in which the sector has remained inert, waiting for this when in fact the data show that in the In the last 10-15 years, the sector has drastically reduced its emissions and will continue to do so, as it is simply a good choice from a commercial and ethical".

The Clean Shipping Coalition (CSC), an environmental organization which turns its attention to the shipping industry, has expressed deep disappointment at the decision to postpone by a year the vote for the adoption of the NZF: "delaying the adoption of its Net-Zero Framework - denounced John Maggs, Representative of the organization at the International Maritime Organization - today the IMO has squandered an important opportunity to address the contribution of global shipping to the climate collapse. With the impacts of global warming that are heard everywhere on earth, postpone this decision it is simply equivalent to evading reality. Governments that take climate action seriously must devote the next 12 months to mobilize all the nations that support the framework, convincing those who are undecided or oppose that his adoption is the only sensible way forward. However - he added - all is not lost, not even remotely, since There is an immediate opportunity to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions from shipping, minimising the fuel consumption and the overall cost of the transition by strengthening and making applicable the Energy Efficiency Indicator, Carbon Intensity (CII), the fundamental measure Energy Efficiency Report. No time to waste - underlined Maggs - at MEPC 84 of April 2026 the Member States must focus all their attention on transforming the CII in the energy efficiency engine needed to straighten quickly and put it back on the right track to become a climate solution. Although the Net-Zero Framework is far from perfect, adopting it would have been an important step to meet the IMO's commitment and send key signals to a a sector that not only called for a global framework, but supported actively this agreement".