IMO Uncertainty Puts Shipping’s 2030 Fuel Target at Risk

Shipping is running out of time to meet a key 2030 target for zero-emission fuels, even as methanol infrastructure and alternative-fuel vessel capacity continue to expand.

A new assessment from the UCL Energy Institute and Getting to Zero Coalition finds that progress has become increasingly uneven, with advances in technology being offset by weaker demand, financing and policy signals.

At the center of the problem is uncertainty over the International Maritime Organization’s Net-Zero Framework, which was agreed in principle last year but has yet to win formal adoption.

The framework is intended to help create demand for lower-emission marine fuels by