Cover Story
The US believes putting a price on carbon emissions from ships will be passed on to its consumers, increasing costs by 10 %. It was what triggered the extraordinary threats by the White House that included sanctions, port fees and visa refusals against member states voting to adopt the IMO net-zero framework. President Donald Trump even weighed in on his Truth Social media platform with a post saying,“ the US will not stand for this Global Green New Scam Tax on Shipping. Stand with the US and vote NO in London...!”
Swayed by US threats
The US was supported in its opposition to the measures by petrostates Saudi Arabia, Russia and Venezuela, with Singapore raising the idea that the regulation be delayed and Saudi Arabia calling for the vote. Pressure from the US saw Liberia, the world’ s largest ship registry with 16 % of global tonnage, and Bahamas, home to almost 4 % of global tonnage, reversing their support for the framework.
Not everyone was cowed by the US threats, particularly the tiny Pacific Island states that are most vulnerable to the climate change dismissed as a hoax by Trump.
“ Don’ t pretend that the Pacific was voiceless. We were ignored, bullied, threatened, cornered, sidelined and harassed. But we stood tall,” Marshall Islands Ambassador Albon Ishoda wrote in a LinkedIn post.
“ When you mention those large countries that fought for or against the framework, don’ t forget that it was the Pacific Island countries and Seychelles that gave the hardest miles and took the hardest hit,” Ishoda wrote.“ A year delay is a year of more devastation and displacement for our communities that have nothing to do with this catastrophe. We don’ t have the luxury of time.”
There are concerns that the US considers the delay in adopting IMO decarbonization plans as a win and will use the time between now and next October to build further opposition against the net-zero framework, potentially killing the regulation. There are also concerns that the delay is a win for liquefied natural gas( LNG) that will continue to be the fuel of choice across shipping sectors.
Reaction to the IMO vote to adjourn the attempted adoption of the net-zero framework for a year has been loud and predominantly negative, particularly concerning the enormous investment required to decarbonize the maritime industry.
IMO member states voted 57-49 in favor of delaying adoption of the net-zero framework. Shutterstock. com
12 Journal of Commerce | November 3, 2025 www. joc. com