Intersessional Working Group on Reduction of GHG Emissions from Ships (ISWG-GHG 21), 20-24 April 2026

The Intersessional Working Group on Reduction of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions from Ships (ISWG-GHG 21) met for its 21st meeting from 20-24 April 2026, chaired by Mr. Sveinung Oftedal (Norway). The summary of discussions is outlined below.

Guidelines to support the implementation of the IMO Net-Zero Framework

The Group exchanged views and made progress with the development of certain guidelines, to support the implementation of draft amendments to MARPOL Annex VI, namely the IMO Net-Zero Framework, based on the various proposals submitted to the session.

This work was made subject, and without prejudice to, the adoption of amendments to MARPOL on the IMO Net-Zero Framework, following the adjournment of the Marine Environment Protection Committee Extraordinary Session (MEPC/ES.2) in October 2025.

The Group made progress on:

Development of draft GHG Fuel Intensity (GFI) calculation guidelines, draft amendments to the 2022 Guidelines for Administration verification of ship fuel oil consumption data and operational carbon intensity, and a draft guidance on how to monitor, report and verify the energy derived from wind propulsion systems (WPS), to be used as basis for further work on the development of the GFI calculation, verification and reporting guidelines/guidance.
Development of draft guidelines on requirements and procedures for recognition of sustainable fuel certification schemes and reporting of certification activities (SFCS guidelines), including draft terms of reference for the SFCS assessment group, to be used as basis for further work on sustainable fuel certification.

The Group proposed to invite the IMO Secretariat to provide to a future session more information on the possible costs involved in the establishment and operation of an IMO GFI Registry (a centralized data platform for the reporting of GHG Fuel Intensity), It also invited the IMO Secretariat to continue further work on developing the functional requirements of the IMO GFI Registry, taking into account interoperability with existing reporting requirements to the IMO DCS, cyber security, data governance and geographical inclusivity aspects.

The Group proposed to invite interested Member States and international organizations to continue to work intersessionally on the further development of the draft guidelines on rewards for zero or near-zero GHG emission technologies, fuels and/or energy sources (ZNZs) and the methodology to determine such rewards.

The Group held discussions in relation to the proposed IMO Net-Zero Fund, including its governing provisions and possible disbursement of revenue, as well as possible measures to address food security.

Further development of the LCA Framework

The Group made progress on follow-up work on the further development of the life cycle GHG assessment (LCA) framework.

The Group expressed its appreciation to the work carried out by the GESAMPLCA Working Group in providing scientific and technical advice on issues related to the implementation of the LCA Guidelines, and considered the various recommendations of the GESAMP-LCA Working Group both with regard to methodological matters regarding the IMO LCA Guidelines, including regarding the review of proposed default well-to-wake emission values.

MEPC 81 adopted the 2024 Guidelines on life cycle GHG intensity of marine fuels (2024 LCA Guidelines) RESOLUTION MEPC.391(81). The life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology refers to the assessment of greenhouse gas emissions from the fuel production to the end-use by a ship ("Well-to-Wake"); it results from the combination of a "Well-to-Tank" part (from primary production to carriage of the fuel in a ship's tank, also known as upstream emissions) and a "Tank-to-Wake" (also called "Tank-to Propeller") part (from the ship's fuel tank to the exhaust, also known as downstream emissions).

Support for attending IMO GHG meetings

The Group noted an update provided by the Secretariat concerning the use of Voluntary Multi-Donor Trust Fund to facilitate the participation of developing countries, especially SIDS and LDCs, to attend MEPC and ISWG-GHG meetings. Since its establishment in March 2023, the Fund had sponsored the attendance to GHG-related meetings of 193 participants from 53 countries, including the participation of delegates from 30 countries to this session, representing an approximate cost of US$ 360,000.

For the ISWG GHG session, the Trust Fund financed the participation of delegates from 30 countries to the session.

Since MEPC 83, the Fund has received financial contributions from China, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands (Kingdom of the), Peru, Philippines, United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom to the Voluntary Multi-Donor Trust Fund, totalling approximately US$ 460,000. In view of the substantial increase in travel costs globally, the Fund was likely to face a shortfall of around US$ 250,000 to support delegates' attendance at GHG related meetings scheduled for later this year.

The Group expressed its appreciation to the donors of the Voluntary Multi-Donor Trust Fund, noted with appreciation the pledge made to the Trust Fund from the United Kingdom of £ 50,000, and invited Member States and international organizations to consider making financial contributions to the Trust Fund to allow for future participation at IMO's GHG meetings.

Report of ISWG-GHG 21 to the MEPC

The report of the Group will be submitted to the MEPC 84th session, 27 April to 1 May. The MEPC is invited to note the progress made by the Working Group.

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