IMO NZF: Industry needs clarity, simplicity and detail on rewards, ICS says

July 18, 2025, by Naida Hakirevic Prevljak

The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), a trade association which represents over 80% of the world merchant fleet, has urged the UN maritime regulator International Maritime Organization (IMO) to clarify issues surrounding the new Net-Zero Framework (NZF).

In April, the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) member states took a historic step by agreeing to the Net-Zero Framework – the world’s first global emissions price for an entire industry. This was a landmark step towards decarbonizing international shipping and one that the ICS has been advocating for and fully supports, the trade association said.

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While being fully supportive, shipowners still have real concerns about how complicated the new rules could become, especially smaller- to medium-sized companies, who may struggle with compliance costs.

So far, the focus has been on the penalties for emissions (‘the sticks’), but clear incentives (‘the carrots’) for cleaner fuels will be just as important. It is these incentives that will motivate fuel producers to deliver the new fuels and infrastructure that will enable shipping to meet the targets, according to ICS.

Governments must also quickly set clear standards for these cleaner fuels. This will reassure fuel producers that investing in green fuel infrastructure makes sense, the ICS stressed.

In October, the IMO is expected to adopt these measures and give details about how these incentives will work. Shipowners and energy producers need certainty on this so they can confidently make investments in cleaner technologies.

“The IMO needs to formally adopt the Net Zero Framework in October to send a clear signal to industry and provide the incentive needed to produce these cleaner fuels. Industry needs clarity, simplicity, and detail on the rewards,” Thomas A. Kazakos, ICS Secretary General, commented.

“We also call on those with unilateral and regional schemes, such as EU ETS, to agree to having one clear and transparent system under the IMO. This is critical if we are to meet the time frames set out.”

ICS has put forward submissions to the IMO to help clarify these issues, including a request to replace the word ‘may’ with ‘shall’ to ensure a clearer signal is sent to the market.

Additionally, ICS has responded to the EU Commission’s consultation, encouraging them to replace the EU ETS with the IMO NZF as soon as it is adopted. The trade union said that the EU should seek to avoid any double burden on maritime operators, financial or administrative, following the expected adoption of the IMO NZF.

“Clear and simple rules are essential for shipping to successfully and quickly transition to net zero,” the association concluded.