The debate on the adoption of IMO’s NET ZERO Framework has finally been postponed for a year, after unprecedented meetings of tension and disagreement in the history of the organization.

This means that everything now remains open, as the process of holistic green transition of shipping has been frozen, and consequently, no further steps will be taken in this direction, delaying carbonization.

Saudi Arabia, after adjourning for lunch, formally tabled the proposal for a one-year postponement.

Fifty-seven states voted in favour, while 49 voted against out of a total of 135 member states eligible to participate in the process. Greece and Cyprus abstained, effectively breaking the European Union’s united front on this issue. 27 member states were absent from the room.

Saudi Arabia, with the US and Russia, actually led the anti-IMO bloc on this issue. Within the EU, the member states did not appear homogeneous.

Greece, with the largest shipping industry in Europe, expressed serious reservations, stressing that it would support the measures only under certain conditions.

Similarly, the Cyprus Shipowners’ Association called on the government and other EU member states to temporarily block the new “Net-Zero” framework to allow more time for consensus. Malta, which had initially sided with Greece and Cyprus, eventually voted against the postponement proposal.