Alibra Shipping warns that shipping's net-zero ambitions are losing priority amid geopolitical turmoil. With the US walking out of IMO deliberations and withdrawing from the Paris Agreement, decarbonisation plans face mounting delays. Giuseppe Rosano notes companies now adopt short-term climate strategies, doing only the minimum required.
Alibra Shipping highlights how priorities have changed in a chaotic world
Alibra Shipping is warning that shipping’s net-zero drive is slipping down owners’ to-do lists as the Middle East war reshapes markets. Delegates gathered at the International Maritime Organisation in London in April to consider the wreckage of the United Nations agency’s decarbonisation plan for the sector following its dismantling by the US last year.
Giuseppe Rosano of Alibra Shipping said in a research note that with “intense geopolitical unrest rocking the world”, environmental concerns “are not a priority”. Additionally: “Last year, the US blocked everything associated with the MPEC. In the April 2025 meeting, the US delegation dramatically walked out of deliberations in protest at the proposed Net-Zero Framework, so the carbon tax was delayed, which was met with mixed reactions.
“It’s going to be very interesting to see what all the countries can agree on, which may be nothing. We will probably see ongoing delay tactics and a diplomatic solution made up of many words which have very little meaning,” Giuseppe added.
The Union of Greek Shipowners (UGS) joined the chorus urging the IMO to devise a new decarbonisation plan.
“The draft Net-Zero Framework does not constitute an appropriate solution,” UGS president Melina Travlos said. The union had maintained a balanced approach towards the proposal, broadly supporting its decarbonisation goals while seeking alterations to aspects it considered impractical or counter-productive.
Giuseppe Rosano of Alibra Shipping noted that the US has also withdrawn from the Paris Agreement on climate change. Giuseppe said: “With the disruption in the [Middle East] Gulf right now, the US is certainly not on board with anything environmental.”
“This means that companies have a very short-term vision when it comes to climate actions — they have no idea where the world is going, so they are only doing what they need to do, and nothing more.”
Giuseppe said the European Union is moving ahead with its own plans. The most recent element is the inclusion of smaller ships of between 400 and 5,000 gt in the Emissions Trading System (ETS) regulations from 2027.
“That’s going to create quite a bit of bureaucracy and work for the smaller operators,” Giuseppe said.
Alibra Shipping is also keen to see where the ETS revenue will be allocated. Two-fifths of the money banked has to be ploughed back into the industry. Last year’s allocations were finalised in November and were all oversubscribed.
Grants of €2.4bn ($2.8bn) are expected to go towards new technology projects to cut emissions.
By Gary Dixon (London)
(Originally published at Tradewindsnews.com – 17 April 2026)
