IMO net-zero shipping talks to resume in 2026

IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee adjourns discussions on the adoption of the Net-Zero Framework for one year.

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has agreed to adjourn the extraordinary session of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC), which was convened this week (14 to 17 October 2025) to consider the adoption of draft amendments to MARPOL Annex VI, including the IMO Net-Zero Framework.

The extraordinary session will be reconvened in 12 months’ time. In the interim, Member States will continue to work towards consensus on the IMO Net Zero Framework.

The Intersessional Working Group on the Reduction on Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Ships, scheduled to meet 20 to 24 October 2025, will go ahead to continue work on the guidelines for implementing the Net Zero Framework.

The IMO Net-Zero Framework was approved at the MEPC 83 session in April 2025, as a new Chapter 5 of the Draft Revised Annex VI of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL). It comprises a set of international regulations aimed at reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from ships, in line with IMO's 2023 Strategy for Reduction of GHG Emissions from Ships. It includes two key elements: a global fuel standard and global GHG emissions pricing mechanism.