ABS Chairman and CEO Christopher J. Wiernicki called on the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to pause and rethink its net zero framework, warning that current targets are not aligned with the realities of global shipping.
Speaking at the launch of the 2025 ABS Sustainability Outlook, Beyond the Horizon: Vision Meets Reality, during London International Shipping Week, Wiernicki said: “Shipping and the IMO are on different trajectories. There is no clear pathway for green fuel availability and scalability and infrastructure support. LNG and biofuels are mission critical to any success and should not be overlooked, over penalized or discarded in the Net Zero regulation. Quite frankly, achieving net zero for shipping by 2050 looks like a wildcard.”
He added that while the industry needs a framework, it must combine ambition with feasibility. “Right now, we are not where we need to be. Emissions remain 121 percent above the 2008 baseline, compliance costs are compounding, and the signals shaping investment - regulation, fuel pricing, penalties, availability, scalability - are moving at different speeds. The IMO needs to take a timeout. We need to get this right.”
The 2025 Outlook, the seventh edition of ABS’s annual report, notes that despite progress in carbon intensity, absolute emissions from shipping continue to rise. It highlights a “three-part calculus” of maritime decarbonization, where 70 percent depends on fuel selection, and 30 percent on energy efficiency and performance optimization.
Wiernicki emphasized that given the global scarcity of green and blue fuels, software solutions and efficiency technologies offer the most immediate gains.
The report projects that compliance costs will sharply increase, with daily operating expenses for a typical vessel trading within the EU potentially rising from around $15,000 in 2028 to about $45,000 by 2035. It also underlines LNG’s transitional role despite its penalization in early 2030s regulation, and points to the longer-term potential of nuclear propulsion technology beyond 2035.
American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) is a classification society incorporated in the United States, providing technical standards and services for the design, construction, and operation of marine and offshore assets. ABS develops rules for safety, environmental performance, and sustainability in shipping and offshore industries.
International Maritime Organization (IMO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for regulating shipping at the international level. Its mandate covers safety, security, and environmental performance of international shipping through legally binding conventions and guidelines.