19 SEPT 2025
As the International Maritime Organization (IMO) approaches a critical October vote on its Net Zero Framework, ABS Chairman and CEO Christopher J. Wiernicki has delivered a stark warning about the growing disconnect between regulatory ambitions and industry realities.
“Shipping and the IMO are on different trajectories. There is no clear pathway for green fuel availability and scalability and infrastructure support,” Wiernicki declared at the launch of the 2025 ABS Sustainability Outlook. “Quite frankly, achieving net zero for shipping by 2050 looks like a wildcard.”
Speaking during London International Shipping Week, Wiernicki emphasized that while a global regulatory framework is necessary, it must balance aspirations with practical implementation. “The industry needs a framework but we need one that marries ambition with reality,” he stated. “The mechanics need to be thought through. Right now, we are not where we need to be.”
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The ABS chief highlighted concerning statistics, noting that emissions remain 121 percent above the 2008 baseline while compliance costs continue to mount. The latest ABS Sustainability Outlook projects that a typical vessel trading within the EU could see daily operating costs triple from approximately $15,000 in 2028 to around $45,000 by 2035.
Wiernicki has called for greater recognition of transitional fuels in the IMO framework. “LNG and biofuels are mission critical to any success and should not be overlooked, over penalized or discarded in the Net Zero regulation,” he insisted, arguing that LNG is being over-penalized in the early 2030s despite its role in underpinning blue fuels and keeping hard-to-abate segments compliant.
His recommendation includes a pragmatic approach: “Recognize LNG as a legitimate transition fuel and that it is itself a fuel in transition. Recognize that nuclear propulsion offers immense promise. The NZF should explicitly include nuclear in its roadmap, not as a footnote but as a pillar of long-term strategy.”
In a separate keynote at the Capital Link Conference, Wiernicki emphasized the importance of a unified global approach to avoid “fragmentation and inefficiencies arising from a patchwork of regional regulation.”
The ABS chief described maritime decarbonization as a “three-part calculus: 70 percent fuel selection, 15 percent energy efficiency, and 15 percent performance optimization,” adding that software will play a pivotal role in achieving immediate gains given the current scarcity of green and blue fuel variants.
The IMO Net-Zero Framework, approved by the Marine Environment Protection Committee in April 2025, represents the first global attempt to combine mandatory emissions limits and greenhouse gas pricing across an entire industry sector. If adopted in October as planned, the measures would become mandatory in 2027 for large ocean-going ships over 5,000 gross tonnage, which emit 85% of the total CO2 emissions from international shipping.
However, the framework faces significant political headwinds. The Trump Administration has issued strong opposition, characterizing it as “effectively a global carbon tax on Americans levied by an unaccountable UN organization.” U.S. officials have reportedly warned various countries they could face tariffs, visa restrictions, and port levies if they support the adoption of the framework.
The IMO’s initial deal was passed by 63 states, with 16 voting no and 24 abstentions. A majority will be required for adoption if it goes to a vote in October, and sources indicate it remains unclear if the measure can pass if more countries abstain under U.S. pressure.
For his part, Wiernicki believes the industry must focus on pragmatic solutions: “Getting closer to the 2030s, we need to protect the bridge, which is LNG with methane-slip controls and credible bio-/e-LNG pathways, to extend the runway, which is energy efficiency technologies and onboard carbon capture, to cut well to wake emissions and prepare the endgame: nuclear and zero carbon fuels when they are safe, insurable and investible at scale.”
Wiernicki, who is set to retire at the end of 2025 following a 14-year leadership tenure at ABS, has overseen substantial company growth with its fleet expanding to 300 million gross tons and maintaining its dominant position in global new order share at 22 percent among both shipbuilders and shipowners.
The IMO’s Net-Zero Framework is scheduled for adoption during an extraordinary session of the Marine Environment Protection Committee in October 2025, with detailed implementation guidelines expected to follow in Spring 2026 before the measures would enter into force in 2027.