U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy said in a joint statement that countries supporting the IMO’s decarbonization plan could face port bans, visa restrictions for seafarers, criminal ship fees, and even sanctions against government officials deemed to support “activist-led climate policies.”
This extraordinary intervention points to what observers have described as a third maritime front for the White House, following the mutual port fee war with China and the threat of tariffs on Chinese goods.
The statement said, “The Administration firmly rejects this IMO proposal and will not tolerate any action that increases costs for our citizens, energy providers, shipping companies, and their customers.”
U.S. officials described the IMO’s NZF as a “new colonial export of European-led global climate regulation” and warned that if adopted, it would effectively create the “first global carbon tax.”
Although the IMO’s draft framework has broad support from European countries, Pacific island nations, and major shipping companies, this U.S. move could affect the vote at the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) meeting in London this week.
The EU, however, maintains its support for the NZF.
A statement from the Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport said that following the adoption of the NZF, the European Commission will review the relevant existing EU regulations, stating, “The EU supports ambitious global measures at the International Maritime Organization (IMO) level to decarbonize the maritime sector and ensure a level playing field globally. The EU sees the Net Zero Framework as a significant milestone and is calling for its adoption at the IMO next week.”
