Impending IMO Summit Must Slash Shipping’s Contribution To Climate Crisis

London, 27 March 2025: Ahead of a hectic two weeks at the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the Clean Shipping Coalition is calling for action from governments on three key fronts to ensure the sector slashes its climate heating impacts:

• ISWG-GHG-19 (Intersessional Working Group on Reduction of GHG Emissions), which will try to reach agreement on a global fuel standard and greenhouse gas levy (two days, March 31- April 1)
• The three-day ISWG-APEE 1 (Intersessional Working Group on Air Pollution and Energy Efficiency) will aim to revise and improve the functioning of the IMO’s carbon intensity indicator (CII) (April 2-4)
• During MEPC 83 (April 7-11) - the IMO’s Marine Environment Protect Committee is scheduled to approve legal text on each of three issues detailed below. What they approve during MEPC 83 will then be adopted (the final stage) at an extraordinary session of MEPC in October 2025.

“The coming two weeks at the IMO gives governments a crucial window to slash shipping’s climate heating greenhouse gas emissions”, said Delaine McCullough, Ocean Conservancy’s Shipping Emissions Policy Manager and President of the Clean Shipping Coalition. “This means that IMO member states must secure agreements on ambitious energy efficiency measures - the carbon intensity indicator, as well as enforceable fuel standards and a greenhouse gas levy, which together could dramatically reduce shipping’s contribution to heating the planet”.

“By the time the gavel comes down on April 11th, IMO Member States must agree that the planned revision of the Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII) will take place without delay, to ensure the CII can make the necessary contribution to reaching the 2030 IMO greenhouse gas strategy targets”, said McCullough. “The CII must quantify and raise ship efficiency while fostering greater transparency and driving deep and lasting reductions in pollution, moving the sector towards a just,equitable, and lowest-cost transition to zero emission shipping. This revision should maximise the operational efficiency of ships now and in the future to drive down the amount of fuel burned in the long-term, and actively favour the primary use of wind and solar for ship propulsion”.

The Clean Shipping Coalition is calling for ambitious action by governments on three key fronts to propel the sector towards slashing its climate heating impacts:

Global Fuel/Energy Standards

: Clear, enforceable fuel/energy standards will catalyse the transition to clean energy. By incentivizing early investment in wind power and zero-GHG fuels, these standards will reduce emissions and spur the creation of green jobs and resilient economies worldwide. The IMO failed to make progress during February’s meeting - during ISWG-GHG-19, IMO member states must determine how ships will be expected to reduce their emissions and which fuels and technologies will count as green - and acceptable.

Equitable Implementation of a Pollution Fee

: Holding polluters accountable via a greenhouse gas emission levy would provide a clear market signal to drive emission reductions and ensure a just and equitable transition to clean shipping. The resulting revenue can be used to support vulnerable nations and ensure all can play a part in the energy transition. More than 60 countries already support such a levy, and the Clean Shipping Coalition is calling for a robust, stand-alone levy of at least $150 per ton of GHG to provide the necessary funding for an equitable transition. See also UCL's Energy Institute: "uncertainty and instability created by a credit-trading policy architecture favours states with strong industrial policy".

Carbon Intensity Indicator

: The CII is the IMO’s tool for measuring and enhancing a ship's energy efficiency, expressed in grams of CO2 emitted per cargo-carrying capacity and nautical mile. The CII is key to creating more energy efficient ships and cutting emissions in the short term, but should also be seen as a long-term tool specifically calibrated for improving and maintaining on-board operational efficiency and to suppress fuel burn to the greatest extent possible. In the ongoing review of the CII, most substantive action has been delayed by years. However, during the first week of April, countries have the chance to up ambition via new efficiency targets and by extending the measure beyond its premature phaseout in 2030.

A strong CII would:

• Reduce demand for fuel, leading to immediate cuts in GHG emissions from fossil fuels;
• Help reduce the wasteful and costly burning of expensive energy-intensive new zero-GHG emission fuels in the future; and would
• Drive the shift towards the kind of shipping change, e.g., slower speeds and more wind propulsion, that will minimise the cost of decarbonisation and deliver important ocean-health co-benefits.

“Wind power must be central to the IMO discussions - It's a proven, cost-effective technology that immediately cuts emissions, eases the energy transition, reduces reliance on alternative fuels and benefits the planet. Scaling up wind technology to the global fleet can bring the IMO closer to their GHG and energy targets and the best part? It's ready to go now. Wind is the true hero in the push for clean, sustainable shipping”, said Anaïs Rios, Shipping Policy Officer, Seas At Risk. 

“We have finally reached the moment when countries must set binding targets for ships to decarbonize and decide which clean fuels and technologies will enable us to reach these targets. However, IMO member states must not weaken the climate ambition offered by the Global Fuel Standard and the levy for the sake of short-term compromise. Governments must make a choice: will this negotiation be a big bang moment for climate action – or just a matchstick spark that fails to set a clear course to 2050?”, said Constance Dijkstra, IMO Policy Manager at Transport & Environment. 

“The IMO is at a crossroads: next week and in early April, governments must come together and agree on measures that can help drive the transition to zero-emission fuels and technologies and reach the IMO GHG Strategy objectives. The policies agreed during the meeting cannot afford to be a drop in the ocean. Anything less than a high and effective levy will fail to deliver the incentives needed for shipping’s decarbonisation and a just, equitable transition. So far, so-called ‘bridging’ proposals on the table fall short and barely make a ripple—this is the moment to raise the bar”, said Bastien Bonnet-Cantalloube, Expert on Decarbonisation of Aviation and Shipping, at Carbon Market Watch

‘We have all, in some way, felt the impacts of the climate crisis. Whether through rising seas, devastating storms, diseases, or the gradual disappearance of once-familiar seasons—the impacts of the climate, biodiversity, and pollution crisis are no longer a distant threat. Shipping is both a cause of this planetary upheaval and has the potential to be a catalyst for its reversal,’ said Elissama Menezes, Director of Equal Routes. ‘At this week’s IMO meeting it is critical to agree on a strong fuel levy which will enable a Just and Equitable Transition for vulnerable nations and people. There isn’t any compromise on this. As a companion to this levy a focus on solutions with co-benefits—where reversing biodiversity loss and reducing pollution can simultaneously drive meaningful climate action. This shipping nexus approach requires MEPC to designate an ad hoc working group to get it off the ground and we’re hopeful that there will be broad acceptance in order for this important work to get started.’

Other Issues Coming up at the IMO:

Emission Control Areas and Scrubbers
During MEPC 83, organisations like the Clean Arctic Alliance will call on member states to support a proposal for a new Northeast Atlantic emission control area to enter into force in 2027, along with a proposal for resolution that call on shipping operators to avoid using scrubbers and end release of scrubber discharge wastes in marine protected areas, habitats important for endangered wildlife, and other ecologically sensitive areas such as the Arctic. 

Plastic Pollution
“Plastic pellets are once again washing up on Europe’s shores, this time after the accident in the North Sea, highlighting just how current voluntary measures are not good enough. This is not an isolated incident, and member states fail to learn. The Grangemouth crash should have triggered an immediate and robust spill response, yet nothing was done until pellets began washing up on shore. These repeated failures show that relying on industry goodwill is not protecting our seas or communities. Once again, progress at MEPC has been limited to a single plenary discussion. We urgently need binding global measures for how pellets are packaged, stowed, and transported, with proper notification to implement spill responses when things go wrong,” said Amy Youngman, Legal and Policy Specialist at the Environmental Investigation Agency. 

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