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The International Maritime Organization wrapped up a pivotal week in London with a pledge to rebuild fractured consensus on its stalled Net Zero Framework for shipping emissions, while also adopting new pollution controls for the Northeast Atlantic and condemning environmental threats from attacks on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
Emissions deal hangs in the balance
The 84th session of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 84), held from 27 April to 1 May 2026 at IMO headquarters, drew nearly 100 delegations to the table. All voiced positions on the so called “mid-term measures” designed to cut greenhouse gas emissions from international shipping, but no final agreement emerged.
The #IMO concluded MEPC 84 in London without a final #emissions deal, setting two urgent intersessional rounds before a November deadline. A new #ECA for the Northeast Atlantic and a resolution on #StraitOfHormuz risks add regulatory pressure for #shipping and #breakbulk operators. #maritime
The session was chaired by Dr. Harry Conway of Liberia.
To break the impasse, the Committee established an intersessional Working Group tasked with narrowing differences before MEPC 85, which is scheduled for 30 November to 3 December 2026. Two additional negotiating rounds are planned, in September and late November, along with a one-day expert workshop on “chain of custody” models that track fuel origin and verify emissions across the supply chain.
Member States will be allowed to table fresh amendments and adjustments to draft text previously approved, a move that signals flexibility but also underscores how far apart positions remain.
IMO Secretary General Arsenio Dominguez struck a cautious tone at the close. He urged delegations to use the coming months productively, warning that trust needed to be rebuilt and calling on members to prepare submissions capable of uniting the broader membership.
A resumed extraordinary session, originally adjourned in October 2025, is penciled in for 4 December 2026, contingent on progress at MEPC 85.
New emission controls and Hormuz warning
Beyond the headline climate talks, the Committee adopted a new Emission Control Area (ECA) covering the Northeast Atlantic. The zone spans exclusive economic zones and territorial seas extending up to 200 nautical miles from the baselines of Greenland, Iceland, the Faroes, Ireland, the United Kingdom, France, Spain and Portugal.
Ships operating inside the ECA will be required to burn fuel with a sulphur content of no more than 0.10%, tightening limits on nitrogen oxides, sulphur oxides and particulate matter. The formal entry into force date is 1 September 2027, with operational enforcement beginning 12 months later in 2028. Regulators say the restrictions will reduce health risks including lung cancer, cardiovascular disease and childhood asthma, while also cutting acidification that damages crops and marine habitats.
Separately, the Committee adopted a resolution condemning attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz region. Delegates warned that strikes involving missiles, drones, fires and explosions risk triggering large scale marine pollution from oil, hazardous substances and toxic residues. The Secretary General was asked to monitor environmental impacts and report findings to the next IMO Council session.
Plastic, ballast water and underwater noise
MEPC 84 also moved on several environmental fronts. Delegates adopted a 2026 Strategy and Action Plan targeting zero plastic waste discharges from ships by 2030, updating earlier plans from 2021 and 2025. They agreed to develop a mandatory code governing the maritime transport of plastic pellets in freight containers under MARPOL Annex III and the SOLAS Convention.
On ballast water, the Committee approved a package of amendments to the Ballast Water Management Convention following a review designed to close regulatory gaps and improve practical enforcement.
Work on underwater radiated noise advanced as well, with delegates agreeing in principle to extend a two-year experience building phase through the end of 2028 and to commission a study on noise emissions as a foundation for possible future regulation.
The Committee additionally approved terms of reference for a Fifth IMO GHG Study and agreed that a standalone legally binding instrument should be developed to control ships’ biofouling, which spreads invasive aquatic species.
For carriers, forwarders and terminal operators, the months ahead will determine whether the shipping industry’s largest regulatory body can deliver a unified carbon pricing or fuel standard, or whether further delay pushes climate action into the next decade.
