US Threatens IMO With Retaliation Over Emission Fees On US Ships

Emission from Ship — Image for representation purposes only

The Trump administration has officially withdrawn from the International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO) decarbonisation negotiations and has warned it will impose retaliatory measures if any international emission-related fees are charged to US ships.

The announcement was made in a diplomatic message sent to IMO member states during the 83rd session of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC), being held from April 7 to 11.

The session is a key part of ongoing efforts to finalise global shipping climate regulations.

According to the message, the US strongly opposes the current proposals under discussion, especially any form of economic measures such as fees or levies tied to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions or fuel types used by vessels.

The US has made it clear that it will not participate in these talks and called on other countries to reconsider their support for the measures.

The 2023 IMO GHG Strategy includes a set of “mid-term measures” designed to reduce GHG emissions from international shipping.

These are divided into two parts: a technical element involving a fuel standard to reduce the carbon intensity of marine fuels, and an economic element, which would introduce a global carbon pricing mechanism for shipping emissions.

These measures are being developed under the “IMO Net-Zero Framework” with a plan to adopt them officially in an extraordinary MEPC session in October 2025.

The US, however, sees these actions as harmful. In its message, the Trump administration claimed that the proposals would create financial pressure on the maritime sector and increase global inflation.

The message also expressed concern about promoting “expensive and unproven fuels,” saying that such changes could lead to negative economic consequences worldwide.

The Trump administration stated that President Donald Trump is committed to “energy dominance” and would not accept any international agreement that it believes unfairly targets American interests or citizens.

The US warned that if the IMO moves forward with what it described as “blatantly unfair” measures, it would consider implementing its own tariffs or economic actions to balance out any fees imposed on US vessels and to protect the American economy.

The US also criticised the idea of differentiating countries in the IMO based on development levels- a concept being discussed as part of a fair energy transition.

According to the US, this violates the IMO’s foundational principles of equal treatment and non-discrimination among member states.

The message claimed that the IMO’s current direction is not about environmental protection but rather about redistributing global wealth.

It also urged the United Nations to stop what it described as an effort to expand the agenda of the Paris Agreement into other organisations like the IMO.

The IMO, however, has not yet responded to the US decision.

Reference: Financial Times

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