The member states of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) failed this week to agree on global climate protection measures for shipping and postponed their decision until next year. The aim is to allow more time for further discussions. It remains unclear when the negotiations will resume. As a result, the prospect of uniform and effective global rules has moved further into the distance.

“This is a setback. It is highly doubtful that a consensus can be reached next year,” says Martin Kröger, Managing Director of the German Shipowners’ Association (VDR). “A pause can be useful, but it should not turn into stagnation. If the decision continues to be postponed, the process risks coming to a complete standstill.”

“The shipping industry has long had a clear position,” Kröger emphasizes. “We need a global, uniform regulatory framework for climate protection in shipping.” However, decisions at the IMO are made by the member states and while some countries, such as the United States, loudly and forcefully opposed a global framework, the EU remained too quiet. “The EU could have taken the helm with a willingness to align its regional regulations with a global system. Instead, it stayed silent and completely misjudged the shifting mood among several countries in the plenary,” Kröger continues.

The negotiations were at a turning point. A clear signal from the EU could have made a breakthrough possible. An agreement might have been more likely if the EU had been prepared to set aside its regional measures in favor of an effective global instrument under the IMO’s umbrella — and had communicated this clearly. Instead, the EU confined itself to vague announcements about examining whether existing regulations, such as the Emissions Trading System (ETS) or FuelEU Maritime, are compatible with future IMO requirements. A clear commitment was lacking.

Each additional special rule means more bureaucracy, less transparency, and ultimately undermines effective climate protection. Kröger adds: “This was a major opportunity for the EU to finally turn its announcements into action, to reduce bureaucracy, end duplication, and refocus on Europe’s competitiveness. But that opportunity was missed.”

The VDR calls for the IMO negotiations to resume swiftly and for an agreement on a global framework for the decarbonisation of shipping to be reached despite the newly announced pause. Shipping is global, and climate protection in shipping must be as well. If every country and region sets its own rules, climate protection becomes more expensive, more complex, and less effective, while fair competition is put at risk. The shipping industry urgently needs a clear global framework.