The Trump administration’s weaponisation of trade and shipping reached a new level on Friday, with Washington threatening to sanction nations that vote in favour of the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) upcoming Net Zero Framework (NZF) — a global plan to cut shipping’s greenhouse gas emissions.
In a joint statement, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said countries backing the IMO’s decarbonisation plan could face port bans, visa restrictions on seafarers, punitive vessel fees, and even sanctions on government officials deemed to be “sponsoring activist-driven climate policies.”
The extraordinary intervention marks what observers are calling a third shipping front for the White House, following the tit-for-tat port fee war with China and the threat of tariffs on Chinese goods.
“The administration unequivocally rejects this proposal before the IMO and will not tolerate any action that increases costs for our citizens, energy providers, shipping companies and their customers,” the statement said.
Trump officials branded the IMO’s Net Zero Framework as a “European-led neocolonial export of global climate regulations” and warned that, if adopted, it would effectively create “the first global carbon tax.”
While the IMO’s draft framework has broad backing from European nations, Pacific island states and major liner groups, the US move could still side swipe this week’s Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) vote in London.
For its part, the EU remains steadfast in its support of the NZF.
“The EU supports ambitious global measures at International Maritime Organisation (IMO) level with a view to decarbonise the shipping sector, and ensure a global level playing field. The EU views the Net-zero Framework as a significant milestone and calls for its adoption at IMO next week,” the Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport stated on Friday, adding that after the NZF’s possible adoption, the European Commission would review the relevant EU regulations in place.
