IMO meeting: no agreement on Net-Zero Framework, amid pressure from US and Saudi Arabia (T&E)

“Negotiations at the IMO (International Maritime Organisation) have drawn a blank for the third meeting in a row, as US and Saudi-led efforts to scupper progress were successful”, said the association Transport and Environment on 4 September 2026.

After four days of meetings held in London from 1 to 4 September, the member states found no agreement on the Net-Zero Framework. It was the third meeting in a row, specified T&E, after last year's epic postponement of the vote in London, during which the US and their allies created a diplomatic clash.

“While pragmatic negotiators, including the EU, signalled openness to compromise measures such as avoiding a centralised fund and weakening greenhouse gas targets, US and Saudi negotiators largely held their ground”, added the association.

“The continued failure to find an ambitious common ground not only puts shipping off course to decarbonise, but locks fossil fuel importing states and the shipping industry into continued dependency. During the Hormuz crisis, dependence on oil costs the industry roughly €340M a day”, according to T&E estimates.

Governments must adopt a global deal capable of decarbonising shipping by 2050 at the next IMO meeting, from 30 November to 3 December. T&E “urged delegations to intensify diplomatic efforts to overcome the obstruction of the US and its allies”.

The association also warned negotiators not to “cave to the Trump administration’s crusade to sacrifice ambitious targets in favor of fossil gas and crop biofuels - a lose-lose deal for the climate and for future-proofing the industry”.

At the same time, “ambitious governments must not let the ongoing delays at the IMO put the brakes on shipping’s need to decarbonise. Taking action at regional and national level on international shipping is becoming increasingly urgent in light of the IMO’s failure to move forward,” T&E said.