John Cooper is the CEO of BAR Technologies. Image Credit: BAR

Wind propulsion firm BAR Technologies is calling for a unified global carbon framework, warning that a growing patchwork of regional rules is increasing compliance pressure on shipowners.

Overlapping measures such as the EU ETS, FuelEU Maritime and emerging IMO proposals are creating a complex regulatory landscape with differing baselines and cost structures, the firm said in an email statement on Thursday.

“Carbon compliance is becoming more fragmented by the month,” John Cooper, CEO of BAR Technologies, said.

“Instead of building momentum behind a single global framework, we’re creating a patchwork of schemes with different baselines, rules and cost mechanisms.”

The company also pointed to the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), which took effect on January 1, 2026, as an example of carbon pricing becoming embedded in global trade.

While CBAM does not directly tax shipping emissions, it introduces indirect costs for major seaborne commodities.

The firm said it supports a globally agreed carbon policy with a bunker-level collection mechanism to fund climate investment while avoiding duplication across regional schemes.

“While we await consensus on a unified framework, we cannot afford inaction,” Cooper said, adding that wind-assisted propulsion technologies can deliver immediate emissions reductions across regulatory regimes.

The European Community Shipowners' Associations (ECSA) has also urged the European Commission to withdraw EU shipping regulations once the IMO’s Net-Zero Framework (NZF) is adopted.

The NZF did not secure a final vote in October after opposition from the US-Saudi-led bloc, with delegates instead agreeing to postpone a decision by one year.