Three American ministers – Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, and Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy – are now threatening, in a joint statement, countries that vote to impose CO2 taxes on shipping with visa restrictions and a ban on docking in the USA.
“We unequivocally reject this proposal, and will not tolerate any action that increases costs for our citizens, energy suppliers, shipping companies and their customers, or tourists”, the statement says.
“The proposal subjects not only Americans, but all IMO member states to an unsanctioned global tax regime that imposes punitive and regressive economic sanctions”, it further states.
The IMO’s so-called Net-Zero Framework is up for a vote in the IMO’s environmental committee this week.
The USA, and a number of other countries, stand outside the agreement, while a majority of IMO member states, including Denmark, support the agreement.
Support for Net-Zero has crumbled after the US administration has ramped up its rhetoric. Among others, several major maritime players Frontline, Capital Group and Bahri have turned their backs on the proposal.
Also the world’s third-largest classification society ABS, has sided with the critics.
“The shipping industry and the IMO are on different paths. There is no clear path to green fuel availability and scalability. LNG and biofuels are critical to any success and should not be overlooked, penalized, or discarded in Net-Zero regulation”, Christopher Wiernicki, CEO of ABS, has previously said.
The Americans also believe that the rules will benefit China and penalize LNG and biofuels, where the USA is a leader.
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