Cyprus has joined a group of Mediterranean states opposing the current draft of the IMO Net-Zero Framework for international shipping, sharpening an internal EU rift over future environmental rules for the sector. The draft would introduce a global marine fuel standard and greenhouse gas pricing mechanism for ships above 5,000 GT, requiring progressive reductions in lifecycle fuel emissions and the purchase of remedial units when limits are exceeded. Recent IMO GHG working group talks ended without agreed text, pushing key decisions to MEPC meetings in November and December.
Cyprus has aligned itself with a bloc of Mediterranean countries that are critical of the proposed IMO Net-Zero Framework for international shipping, in a move that has widened divisions within the European Union over climate regulation of the maritime sector. At the heart of the dispute is a plan to introduce a global marine fuel standard and a greenhouse gas emissions pricing system: ships would have to gradually reduce the GHG intensity of the energy they use on a full lifecycle basis, and any exceedance of prescribed limits would need to be offset through surplus units or by purchasing so‑called remedial units via an IMO Net-Zero Fund. Under the current draft, for the 2028–2030 reporting period Tier 1 remedial units would be priced at 100 US dollars per tonne of CO₂ equivalent and Tier 2 units at 380 dollars, with the regime initially covering ocean-going vessels over 5,000 gross tonnage that account for more than 85% of global shipping emissions.
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