IMO NZF Opponents' Reasoning 'Had Very Little to Do With Shipping'

An extraordinary session of the IMO's Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) unexpectedly voted to push back its NZF plans by a year on Friday. Image Credit: Maria Skipper Schwenn / LinkedIn

A senior executive at global marine fuels group Bunker Holding has said the firm will continue to support the IMO's net-zero framework (NZF) despite last week's unexpected delay, while suggesting opposition to it did not come down to fundamental differences on the technicalities of maritime regulation.

An extraordinary session of the IMO's Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) unexpectedly voted to push back its NZF plans by a year on Friday after significant opposition to its adoption emerged, led by the US.

The deal would have set progressively tougher carbon intensity requirements for marine fuels for the years 2028-2035 and beyond.

"The political will to preserve the majority from April's approval just wasn't there," Maria Skipper Schwenn, director of public affairs at Bunker Holding, said in a LinkedIn post on Sunday.

"Looking at the positive side though, the NZF wasn't rejected and the work on guidelines for its implementation continues when the WG convenes already this Monday.

"The coming year will hopefully bring back more unity among the majority of Member States, so the NZF can be adopted and finally enter into force.

"Bunker Holding A/S will continue to support the work going forward."

Skipper suggested opposition to the NZF may be a temporary phenomenon, with the long-term trend pointing toward greater regulation of shipping's GHG emissions before long.

"This week IMO was closer than ever to adopt a regulatory measure making shipping the first sector with a global regulation to decarbonize," she said.

"The world we're living in today is very different from the one just a few years ago.

"I think it would be fair to say that the opponents' reasoning had very little to do with shipping."

Skipper is set to appear on a panel on regulatory updates and decarbonisation policy in the wake of the MEPC meeting at the IBIA Annual Convention in Hong Kong next month.

The event is being hosted at the Renaissance Hong Kong Harbour View Hotel from November 18-20 as part of Hong Kong Maritime Week, and will see bunker industry representatives from around the world discussing the latest developments affecting marine fuels.

For more information on the event and to register, click here.