Maritime nations got close to signing off on an agreement toward zero emission fuels by 2050 at the International Maritime Organization (IMO), but the adoption was stalled until talks resume a year from now.
Japan and South Korea, two of the world’s top ship makers, were among those that had supported a global carbon price in earlier rounds of talks. China, the biggest global ship builder, has voiced opposition against a carbon levy but advocates for more flexible targets such as achieving net zero “around mid-century,” aligning with its national goal of carbon neutrality by 2060.
During Friday’s vote, China decided to back the delay, while Japan and South Korea were among those who abstained.
Although South Korea has set its own net zero target for international shipping by 2050, its delegation was refrained from making any remarks or interventions at the meeting. SFOC said that the country should show “clearer support for the adoption of the net zero framework” when the session resumes next year.
“South Korea and other Asian shipping countries must reaffirm their shared goal to drive the next maritime sector’s clean transformation. Governments must turn delay into determination, charting a clear course toward a decarbonised and climate-resilient shipping future by 2050,” said SFOC in a statement released on 22 October.
Arsenio Dominguez, secretary general of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), leads the opening of the session held from 14-17 October, 2025. Image: IMO via Flickr
The delay is particularly “disappointing” for these countries because their carriers have already committed to carbon-neutral roadmaps and their commitment in support of global shipping’s net zero target by 2050, said SFOC, which advocates to make emissions trajectories across Asia compatible with the Paris Agreement 1.5°C warming target.
Korea’s HMM already has a short-term greenhouse gas emissions reduction target of 50 per cent by 2030, based on a 2008 baseline, as part of its blueprint to attain carbon neutrality by 2050. Hyundai Glovis and Pan Ocean have likewise aligned themselves with IMO’s net zero goal. Japan’s Mitsui O.S.K. Lines NYK Line, and Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha each have net zero targets aiming for 2050
“What these companies need is not hesitation, but regulatory clarity and policy certainty – signals that enable decisive investment in green ships and zero-emission fuels. Instead, the postponement deepens uncertainty and erodes momentum,” added SFOC.
Shipping carries nearly 90 per cent of global trade but is responsible for 3 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions. Despite this, international shipping emissions remain outside the scope of most nationally determined contributions (NDCs).
In April this year, the IMO made a long-awaited breakthrough, approving a draft mid-term measure as part of its roadmap to reach net zero by 2050. However, as negotiations progressed in their next official adoption stage in October, the process faced continuous blocking and opposition. United States president Donald Trump, who last month called climate change a “con job”, intervened and used trade threats to derail the process.
Saudi Arabia proposed adjourning the negotiations for one year, a motion that received support from over half of the participating countries, including the US and other petrostates.
SFOC called the postponement not merely a “procedural delay” but one that puts a “significant setback to the IMO’s institutional momentum” toward achieving its 2050 net zero target and ensuring the deployment of 10 per cent of zero and near zero marine fuels by 2030.
“With every year lost, the sector’s transition window narrows. When finally adopted, the measure will demand even sharper emission cuts, placing immense pressure on shipping companies and undermining investor confidence in the sector’s green transition,” it said.
