Some 27 leading producers of green fuels have called on International Maritime Organization (IMO) delegates to seize a ‘once-in-a-generation’ opportunity to set out a sustainable pathway for global shipping.
Delegates are convening this week in London to discuss the adoption of the IMO’s Net Zero Framework (NZF), the text of which was agreed in April earlier this year.
A final vote on the measure is expected on either Thursday or Friday, and the producers, which include European Energy, Liquid Wind, ET Fuels, HIF Global and Zero Waste, are urging delegates to adopt the deal.
Together, these firms currently have green fuel projects underway in Africa, South and North America, Europe, South Asia and Oceania.
‘Policy certainty’
As industry group Transport & Environment noted, the NZF includes specific incentives for green e-fuels, which are currently at a disadvantage to LNG and biofuels, despite ‘hydrogen-based e-fuels providing much greater emissions savings’.
“E-fuel producers need policy certainty to get green shipping fuels off the ground,” commented Dr Alison Shaw, IMO manager at T&E. “Shipping could become a major offtaker for hundreds of projects worldwide, but only under the right rules.
“The current IMO Net-Zero Framework leaves e-fuels competing with cheaper and unsustainable options like fossil gas and first-generation biofuels. The message from producers is clear: to decarbonise shipping at scale, incentives for green e-fuels are essential. Without targeted incentives, shipping’s energy transition risks stalling before it begins.”
Shipping organisations
Last week, a number of shipping organisations, including Danish Shipping, Singapore Shipping Association, UK Chamber of Shipping, Norwegian Shipowners’ Association, Japanese Shipowners’ Association, Royal Belgian Shipowners’ Association and the Royal Association of Netherlands Shipowners, also urged IMO delegates to adopt the NZF at this week’s London meeting.
“Binding global regulation is crucial to achieving the goal of climate-neutral shipping by 2050,” commented Anne H. Steffensen, CEO of Danish Shipping. “We need global regulation and a level playing field.”
Critics of the NZF, however, include the United States, with the Trump administration stating that it ‘unequivocally rejects’ the proposed measures, threatening sanctions and other punitive actions against those that support it. Read more here.
