Green shipping regulations are the treaty rules that cap greenhouse gas emissions from ships at sea. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) writes them under the MARPOL pollution treaty. The rules now steer hull design and fuel supply across the world fleet.
Commercial tonnage dominates that fleet, and the rules follow trade routes rather than coastlines. Naval programs work the same waters, as coverage of unmanned vessels that hunt sea mines shows. The account below sticks to IMO documents and their dates.
The aim, per the IMO statement of 7 July 2023, is "net-zero GHG emissions from international shipping by or around, i.e. close to, 2050." That target drives each fuel rule now in draft. Continuing coverage of these measures sits in the maritime news section.
Which mandatory fuel rules already apply to ships?
Two instruments carry legal force today, per the IMO overview page. The Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) sets a building standard for new ships. The Ship Energy Efficiency Management Plan (SEEMP) requires each ship to track and improve its running efficiency. Both sit under MARPOL Annex VI, the air pollution chapter.
The same page notes that the first resolution on carbon dioxide from shipping dates to 1997. It describes the two measures as mandatory for emissions from shipping under MARPOL. Since the design index binds new builds, its terms reach shipyards as contract clauses years before launch. The management plan then governs ships in service.
What does the 2023 strategy demand from the fleet?
The 2023 IMO GHG Strategy, adopted at the MEPC 80 session in July 2023, sets the course. It commits member states to net-zero emissions from international shipping by or around 2050. Checkpoints for 2030 and 2040 mark the path.
Per the July 2023 statement, total annual GHG emissions should fall at least 20 percent by 2030, striving for 30 percent, from a 2008 base. The 2040 checkpoint calls for a cut of at least 70 percent, striving for 80 percent. Carbon intensity, the emissions per unit of transport work, should drop at least 40 percent by 2030. The strategy also seeks zero or near-zero fuels for at least 5 percent, striving for 10 percent, of the energy used by international shipping by 2030.
How would the Net-Zero Framework change fuel choices?
The IMO Net-Zero Framework, approved at the MEPC 83 session in April 2025, would add new tools. The IMO describes it as draft amendments to MARPOL Annex VI with two parts: a global fuel standard and a global pricing mechanism for GHG emissions. Readers following this should also see Houthi Attacks Sank Two Bulk Carriers in the Southern Red Sea in July 2025.
The 2023 strategy had already sketched the pair. It named a technical element, a goal-based marine fuel standard regulating the phased reduction of fuel GHG intensity, and an economic element built on a maritime GHG emissions pricing mechanism. The April 2025 draft carries both into treaty text. The standard would bind fuel itself, not just hull design.
Where does adoption stand as of October 2026?
The framework has not been adopted. Per the IMO statement of 17 October 2025, the extraordinary session that met from 14 to 17 October 2025 to weigh adoption was adjourned. It will be reconvened in twelve months, and member states are to seek consensus meanwhile.
The same statement reports that the working group on GHG reduction was set to meet from 20 to 24 October 2025 to continue drafting guidelines for the framework. The April 2025 approval thus remains live, while the vote waits for the reconvened session. The IMO published record, as of October 2026, shows no adoption.
Conclusion: What Fleets Watch Next
The rules in force today shape design and daily practice at sea. The rules still in draft would shape the fuel market itself. A new hull must meet the design index, and fuel plans must track the 2030 and 2040 checkpoints. The next marker is the reconvened committee session, due twelve months after the October 2025 adjournment. It will revisit the draft amendments, and its outcome will show whether the fuel standard and the pricing tool enter the treaty on the road to 2050.
