IMO picks Council members but Net Zero Framework hiatus raises red flag for potential fragmentation of shipping decarbonization

The Assembly of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for regulating and improving international shipping, has elected Member States to serve on three categories of the IMO Council. Meanwhile, EmissionLink’s Managing Director has warned that the IMO’s decision to delay its Net Zero Framework is creating a regulatory vacuum which threatens to fragment global shipping decarbonization efforts.

The IMO Assembly has selected ten states with the largest interest in providing international shipping services to join the IMO Council under category (a), encompassing China, Greece, Italy, Japan, Liberia, Norway, Panama, the Republic of Korea, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the United States of America.

Ten more states secured a spot in category (b), said to have the largest interest in international seaborne trade, encapsulating Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, India, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and the United Arab Emirates.

The remaining category (C) is made up of 20 states not elected under (a) or (b) segments, which have special interests in maritime transport or navigation and whose election to the Council will