Marine environment protection committee: 2nd extraordinary session & intersessional working group on reduction of GHG emissions: 20th session (MEPC ES.2 & ISWG GHG 20) Joint Summary Report

The second extraordinary session of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC ES.2) was held in person from the 14th to the 17th of October 2025, with hybrid facilities allowing remote participation.

The Committee, which was supposed to adopt the resolution amending Annex VI of the MARPOL Convention, by including a Net-Zero Framework chapter and various consolidated amendments (Article 13, DCS, and Atlantic ECA), failed to reach a consensus.

The calling into question of the tacit adoption procedure proposed in the cover resolution in favour of an explicit procedure used to ratify new instruments crystallised the divide amongst the delegates.

The last day, a motion to adjourn the MEPC extraordinary session for one year, was adopted by a majority of 57 votes (against 49): no resolution nor other submission were therefore adopted.

Only for information, one can find the items discussed during the Committee in the following summary report indicating the works of the drafting group (draft resolution on MARPOL, annex VI) and the working group (draft work-plan).

The twentieth session of the Intersessional Working Group on Reduction of GHG Emissions was held in person the week following MEPC ES.2. at IMO in London, with hybrid facilities allowing remote participation from the 20th to the 24th of October 2025.

Despite the adjournment of the MEPC ES.2, the IMO continued its work on the guidelines meant to support the Net-Zero Framework.

The terms of reference for the intersessional working groups were established by MEPC 83. Therefore, the ISWG-GHG 20 and 21 are bound to continue this work until MEPC 84 reviews the course of action to be taken in light of the adjournment of MEPC ES.2.

Work progressed during the 20th intersessional meeting on the following topics:

• work on guidelines supporting the uniform and effective implementation of the Net-Zero framework:
  • guidelines on sustainable fuels certification schemes (SFCS) and the fuel life cycle label (FLL);
  • guidelines related to zero or near-zero GHG emission technologies, fuels and/or energy sources (ZNZs), and the reward mechanism;
  • guidelines on the IMO’s Net-Zero Fund’s governing provisions;
  • guidelines on the calculation of the attained GHG fuel intensity (GFI), on the annual GFI compliance approaches and on the reporting and verification of the annual GFI;
  • guidelines on the IMO GFI registry.
• revision of the life cycle analysis (LCA) guidelines and the method of work of GESAMP LCA working group;
• drafting of terms of reference for the IMO’s Fifth GHG study.