NGOs hail 'progress' in IMO working group following move to delay adoption of climate framework

Delay to NZF means delay for unrelated measures

As the Lloyd’s Register report pointed out, the adjournment of the extraordinary session of the MEPC in October meant that "several amendments to Marpol Annex VI were not adopted, although they have no impact on the NZF".
Among the regulations in limbo due to the decision to postpone further discussion on the NZF for a year are:

• Designation of the North-East Atlantic Ocean as an Emission Control Area for SOx, NOx and particulate matter.
• IMO ship fuel oil consumption system (IMO DCS) data accessibility.
• Review of the short-term greenhouse gas emissions reduction measures.
• Use of multiple engine operational profiles for a marine diesel engine related to NOx requirements.
• Clarification of entries in data reporting required by regulations 27 and 28.
"It is yet to be confirmed how or when these will be adopted. It could be that they are separated from amendments which are in adjournment so that they can be adopted before the NZF is further considered, and therefore they could be adopted separately," the LR report said.

IMO Secretary General: NZF still ’very much alive’

With years of negotiations behind the shipping decarbonisation amendments that include the Net-Zero Framework, and an April 2025 vote that approved the amendments to Marpol, the move to adjourn was not widely expected.

Despite the delay and uncertainty about its adoption, during a press conference following the closure of proceedings, IMO Secretary General Arsenio Dominguez said the existing framework plan remained on the table and was ’very much alive’.

"The framework is not adopted, but we were already working on developing the guidelines [if] the framework [had been] approved. So the amendments remain approved. The session has been adjourned to continue in one year, again, to address the adoption of the amendments," he said.

Asked if the adjournment was a ’blow’ to IMO, with alleged reports from delegates that "outside pressure [is] what dictated the outcome" of the vote, Mr Dominguez said he did not see it that way, while noting the particular challenges and weighty geopolitical stakes that surround climate agreements.

"It wasn’t the normal meetings of IMO, but this is a topic that, you know, transcends IMO," he said. "The geopolitics in the world right now makes it, as well, more challenging for us to make progress in certain topics. But I will maintain that member states have the right to express their opinion, to negotiate amongst each other. I’m not here to qualify that. I’m here to continue to work with all of them... and that’s why there’s further work, not only on the guidelines, but the negotiations that will continue to take place in between now that we have adjourned and when we resume in a year’s time."

Pointing out IMO’s "main framework" rules on greenhouse gas emissions remain "the basis for any discussions," Mr Dominguez said the organisation can still move forward on several fronts.

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