London, 31 March 2025: The International Maritime Organization (IMO) will this week home in on measures to cut international shipping’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions at the ISWG-GHG 18 meetings. Of the options on the table, only a high-price levy on shipping GHG emissions would raise revenues to help the industry achieve its climate targets and incentivise the green hydrogen solutions with the lowest lifecycle GHG emissions.

Aurelia Leeuw, EU Policy Director at the SASHA Coalition, commented, 

"IMO delegates must wake up to the fact that a high-price levy on shipping emissions is in the industry’s interest, before this rare opportunity for ambitious, coordinated action passes them by.

Fair emissions pricing would not only narrow the price gap between green hydrogen fuels and less sustainable fossil and biofuels, but also create new revenues that can help the industry develop and scale key technologies.

To accelerate the green maritime transition while securing the industry's long-term competitiveness, member states must support an ambitious levy."

The J9 proposal, an alternative approach that would create a credit trading system, would not raise substantial revenues nor create the right incentives for green hydrogen solutions. Research from the UCL Energy Institute shows that J9 would direct investment to so-called "transitional" solutions like LNG and biofuels instead of the long-term sustainable fuels we need, to the detriment of the industry and climate alike.

ENDS