IMO negotiators ended four days of shipping decarbonisation talks in London on 4 September with key concerns over the Net-Zero Framework still unresolved and the next push for agreement postponed until late November, according to the International Maritime Organization.
The 22nd session of the Intersessional Working Group on Reduction of Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Ships, or ISWG-GHG 22, attracted nearly 1,200 registered participants attending in person and online. The meeting was chaired by Norway’s Sveinung Oftedal.
Delegations were invited to continue consultations between sessions to address “remaining concerns” over draft amendments to MARPOL Annex VI and submit concrete proposals reflecting “enhanced convergence” ahead of the next negotiating round.
Oftedal said there was a “genuine willingness” to make further progress and work towards presenting a text to the Marine Environment Protection Committee at MEPC 85.
Time pressure also forced negotiators to carry unfinished regulatory work into the next session. All documents on draft guidelines supporting implementation of IMO’s mid-term measures were deferred to ISWG-GHG 23.
The group was also unable to consider the IMO Life Cycle GHG Assessment framework, with those documents pushed to the same meeting alongside the expected report from the fourth meeting of the GESAMP-LCA Working Group.
ISWG-GHG 23 is scheduled for 23 to 27 November, followed by MEPC 85 from 30 November to 3 December. The second extraordinary session of MEPC, adjourned in October 2025, is scheduled to resume on 4 December, subject to discussions at MEPC 85.
The International Maritime Organization is the United Nations specialised agency responsible for the safety and security of international shipping and the prevention of marine and atmospheric pollution from ships.