Blow for green hydrogen | ‘IMO decarbonisation rules likely to be further delayed and diluted’: shipping boss
Source：hydrogeninsight
There is unlikely to be a resurrection of the International Maritime Organization’s flagship green shipping rules any time soon, and the proposals could actually be watered down, according to a senior maritime executive.
Engebret Dahm, chief executive of Norwegian tanker operator Klaveness Combination Carriers, said the outlook for a decarbonisation path — and by implication, the demand for green hydrogen derivatives such as ammonia and methanol — is now “highly uncertain” and that there is little hope for a global framework this year.
“I think the reality is, as the world looks today, it will be maybe further delayed, diluted,” he said at a seminar at law firm Thommessen in Oslo this week.
“So, meaning that at the end of this year, I don’t think we have that many more things that will help us. But I may be wrong, and I do hope we get something which is strong and effective.”
A decision on the proposed rules, which green hydrogen developers were expecting to drive a massive kick in demand for clean fuels, was provisionally postponed for a year at a crucial vote in London in October.
The US had led an aggressive eleventh-hour lobbying campaign which swung votes against a process that had initially been widely supported by IMO member states and shipping groups.
The failure of the framework was a blow to green hydrogen developers, but Dahm noted that it also causes problems for the shipping industry.
“The framework was not ideal in any way, but it gave at least two important impacts on the shipping industry,” he explained.
“One is that it gave a predictability, in that we knew that the requirements when it comes to the carbon intensity of the fuel would get gradually stricter, and the majority of the ships that we are running on today’s fuel would in fact end up with a substantially higher fuel cost.”
Shipowners were also warned that without a global decarbonisation framework, they may have to deal with several regional fuel regulations — a headache that could eventually force a resolution to the issues surrounding IMO net zero framework.
“The lack of a global system is a complete mess in terms of administrative work and potential economic consequences, to put it in straight words,” said Thommessen partner Henrik Hagberg.
The European Union has strict mandates under its FuelEU Maritime regulation (see panel above), and the UK, South Korea, China, Turkey and Morocco may set up their own regulations.
“If you do a round trip and you have to report maybe six or eight or 10 different places under different regimes, and you have to pay and everything, it’s going to be a mess in my view,” Hagberg said. “So hopefully we will get some sort of sense into this also eventually.”
Hagberg reported a growing tension around the issue.
“It is a bit disturbing that the entire green transition within the shipping industry has now become more contentious than ever,” he said. “It has been contentious all the way, but in 2025 we saw a crescendo in that respect in the work with the IMO net zero strategy.”
A version of this article first appeared in Hydrogen Insight's sister title, Tradewinds.