Environmental campaign group Transport & Environment (T&E) has urged governments to move ahead with regional measures to cut shipping emissions rather than waiting for agreement on the International Maritime Organization's (IMO) Net-Zero Framework (NZF).

The call came after the latest round of IMO negotiations ended without an agreement — the third consecutive meeting to conclude without a deal — T&E said in an emailed statement on Friday.

According to the group, the continued delays make action outside the global negotiating process increasingly important. T&E argued that national and regional measures should continue to advance while NZF negotiations remain unresolved. Regional action is already a reality in Europe: shipping has been included in the EU Emissions Trading System since 2024, covering CO2 emissions from large ships calling at EU ports, and the FuelEU Maritime regulation took effect in 2025 with progressively tightening limits on the greenhouse gas intensity of energy used by ships. Such measures illustrate the kind of regional action T&E wants governments to expand.

"Governments should push forward with ambitious regional measures and must not wait for a global agreement before taking action," said Alex Springer, interim shipping director at T&E.

T&E also warned that further delays in reaching a global agreement could prolong the shipping industry's dependence on fossil fuels and set decarbonisation efforts further behind schedule. International shipping accounts for roughly 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to IMO estimates, giving the regulatory outcome significance for global climate efforts as well as for the industry's fuel and technology choices.

The IMO, the United Nations agency responsible for regulating international shipping, has been working through its Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) and intersessional working groups on greenhouse gas reduction measures. The proposed Net-Zero Framework is intended to provide a global mechanism for cutting emissions from international shipping, but talks have repeatedly failed to produce consensus among member states.

The next IMO working group meeting is scheduled for November 30 to December 3, when governments are expected to resume discussions on the NZF.

Source: Ship & Bunker