The Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) met for its 83rd session from 7-11 April 2025. The meeting was chaired by Dr Harry Conway from Liberia. IUMI was represented virtually by Hendrike Kühl.
Mid-term measures to reduce GHG emissions
The Committee finalised and approved the draft legal text for the “IMO Net-Zero Framework” (to be included in MARPOL). The draft amendments were circulated to Member States immediately after the meeting with a view to adoption at an extraordinary session of MEPC in October 2025.
The IMO Net-Zero Framework includes a set of “mid-term measures” aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions from international shipping in line with the reduction targets set out in the 2023 IMO GHG Strategy. These measures consist of:
- a technical element: a goal-based marine fuel standard designed to gradually lower the GHG intensity of marine fuels;
- an economic element: a pricing mechanism for maritime GHG emissions.
Following adoption, the measures are expected to enter into force 16 months later.
Food security
The Committee agreed that in the period between the adoption of the IMO Net-Zero Framework and its entry into force, further assessment (qualitative and quantitative) of the potential impacts of an increase in maritime transport costs on food security resulting from the adopted framework should be conducted. The Committee agreed to keep the potential impact on food security under continuous review.
Review of the short-term measure to reduce GHG emissions
The Committee finalised Phase 1 of the review of IMO’s short-term GHG reduction measures which were adopted in 2021 and entered into force in 2022. Key elements of the short-term measures include: Energy Efficiency Existing Ship Index (EEXI), enhanced Ship Energy Efficiency Management Plan (SEEMP), and Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII) rating scheme. The measures aim to improve ship energy efficiency and reduce carbon intensity by at least 40% by 2030 compared to 2008.
The review of the effectiveness of the short-term measures began in July 2023. Under Phase 1, the Committee gathered data from Member States about their experience implementing the short-term measures, analysed this data and identified a list of challenges and/or gaps. At MEPC 83, the Committee took the following actions:
- Carbon intensity (CII) reduction factors for 2027-2030 – amendments adopted.
The Committee adopted amendments to the 2021 Guidelines on the operational carbon intensity reduction factors relative to reference lines. These Guidelines outline the methods for determining the annual operational carbon intensity reduction factors and their values from 2023 to 2030 (indicating how much carbon intensity need to be reduced by ships over this period to meet targets). The amendments include newly defined CII reduction factors for 2027 to 2030.
- Access to the IMO Data Collection System for ship fuel consumption – amendments approved.
The Committee approved draft amendments to make the IMO’s data collection system on ship fuel consumption more accessible to the public. The IMO DCS requires ships to record and report their fuel oil consumption which is then used to calculate ships’ operational carbon intensity (CII). The amendments will ensure that all reported data in the IMO DCS are accessible to Parties to MARPOL Annex VI, in a non-anonymised form. An anonymised database (i.e., identification of a specific ship will not be possible) will be made accessible to public users.
- Workplan for Phase 2 of the review of short-term GHG reduction measures agreed.
The Committee agreed on a work plan for Phase 2 of the review of the short-term GHG reduction measures, to run from Spring 2026 to Spring 2028. Phase 2 will look at enhancing the SEEMP framework, further developing CII metrics, as well as ensuring synergies between the IMO carbon intensity/energy efficiency framework and the IMO Net-Zero Framework.
- Ship Energy Efficiency Management Plan (SEEMP) framework – amendments adopted.
The Committee adopted Amendments to the 2024 Guidelines for the development of a Ship Energy Efficiency Management Plan (SEEMP) to allow the possible development of other CII metrics at future MEPC sessions, as envisaged in the work plan for the review of the short-term GHG reduction measures.
Report on the annual carbon intensity and efficiency of the fleet
The Committee noted the report by the IMO Secretariat on the carbon intensity of the international shipping fleet for the year 2023 (both demand- and supply-based), including a summary of carbon intensity developments of the fleet from 2019 to 2023. The report showed reductions in the carbon intensity of shipping ranging from 4.8% to 9.9% (depending on the method of calculation) from 2019 to 2023, and a decrease in total fuel consumption from 213 million tonnes in 2019 to 211 million tonnes in 2023.
The report also indicated that, compared to 2008 levels, the average carbon intensity of shipping in 2023 has fallen by 31.0% (calculated based on supply measurement) and by 36.5% (based on demand measurement).
Addressing marine plastic litter from ships
The Committee adopted the 2025 Action Plan to Address Marine Plastic Litter from Ships (2025 Action Plan) agreed by the Sub-Committee on Pollution Prevention and Response, and approved updated groupings of short-, mid- and long-term actions under this plan.
With regard to the carriage of plastic pellets in freight containers by sea, the Committee noted that PPR 12 included a dedicated action for the development of mandatory measures to reduce the environmental risks of plastic pellets transported by sea in freight containers in the above 2025 Action Plan.
