Net-Zero Framework – If the shipping industry were a country, it would rank as the world’s sixth-largest greenhouse gas emitter. The Net-Zero Framework has two main goals – creating a global fuel standard to reduce pollutant ratios in shipping fuel and establishing a pricing mechanism on greenhouse gas emissions to encourage alignment with the global fuel standard.

The legislation will apply to all ships over 5,000 gt, responsible for 85% of global shipping emissions. The Committee will plan a one-day expert workshop ahead of MEPC 85 on “chain of custody” models to trace and verify fuel origins and emissions.

North-East Atlantic ECA – The new ECA for the North-East Atlantic covers waters up to 200 nautical miles from the baselines of Greenland, Iceland, the Faroes, Ireland, the UK, France, Spain and Portugal. The policy enters into full force in 2028. Ships in these zones will be required to burn fuel with sulphur content no greater than 0.10%, alongside stricter nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter limits.

Shipping fuel has a sulphur content roughly 3,500 times higher than car diesel and is linked to around 13% of global sulphur oxide (SOx) and 15% of global NOx emissions. The pollutants from shipping are estimated to cause 400,000 premature deaths annually. Sulphur when mixed with H2O in the atmosphere also causes acid rain, damaging trees and making aquatic environments toxic.

Biofuels as a transition – Ninety percent of global trade relies on shipping for transport. To meet the incoming requirements, biofuels remain the most readily deployable transition option, operating as “drop-in” fuel usable on most ships without engine modification. Modern bioenergy adoption has increased 4% between 2010 to 2023. However, to align with a Net Zero Scenario, bioenergy use must increase another 8% per year by 2030, underlining the importance of investing in renewable fuels and efficient monitoring of their implementation.

Targeting alternative pollution sources – The Committee agreed to develop a mandatory code governing the maritime transport of plastic pellets in freight containers, prompted in part by the MV X-Press Pearl disaster off Sri Lanka in 2021. This sits alongside the new 2026 Strategy and Action Plan on Marine Plastic Litter from Ships, which targets zero plastic waste discharges by 2030 and the voluntary marking of fishing gear – a modest step toward addressing the ghost gear crisis we explored last month.

Underwater noise – The Committee also advanced its work on underwater radiated noise (URN), agreeing in principle to extend the experience-building phase by two years to the end of 2028. An IMO study on URN emissions will also be commissioned as an evidence base for future measures – a signal that noise pollution, long an under-monitored stressor on marine life, is growing in prominence on the agenda.

Looking forward – The MEPC’s progress hinges on high-resolution, verifiable ocean and vessel data. ECA compliance, fuel chain tracking, pollution response and underwater noise rules all depend on measurement across waters that remain among the least observed parts of the planet.

Companies such as SOFAR that provide continuous data on temperature, currents, water quality and underwater sound, precisely cover the parameters the IMO’s expanding agenda now demands. As the IMO’s targets harden into binding obligations, the companies building the ocean’s data layer will be central to ensuring their delivery.