Greece has taken a leading role in pressing for a pragmatic global framework on shipping decarbonisation, with Athens joining Cyprus, Malta and Italy in submitting a joint statement to the International Maritime Organization backing an approach that weighs the availability, cost and technological maturity of alternative marine fuels. The statement came as four days of negotiations at the IMO’s London headquarters, running from September 1 to 4, failed to produce a common position among member states on the proposed Net-Zero Framework. Almost 1,200 registered delegates attended the 22nd session of the IMO’s Intersessional Working Group on Reduction of Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Ships, which examined the contested emissions-cutting proposals without bridging the remaining divisions among negotiating blocs, including splits within the European Union itself over how rigid any global rules should be.
The joint position builds on an agreement reached days earlier at the ninth Trilateral Shipping Meeting between Cyprus, Greece and Malta, held for the first time in an expanded “3+1” format with Italy taking part. Cyprus’s Deputy Minister of Shipping, Marina Hadjimanolis, hosted Greek Shipping Minister Vassilis Kikilias and Malta’s Minister for Sustainable Mobility Chris Bonett in Limassol, while Italy’s Deputy Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Edoardo Rixi, joined online and Ambassador Antonella Cavallari represented Rome in person. Kikilias underscored the link between shipping policy and the cost of energy, goods and food for European households, as the four flag and shipowning nations agreed to strengthen their coordinated voice in upcoming European and international negotiations over the IMO’s contested emissions rules.
Source: Greek City Times — https://greekcitytimes.com/2026/09/14/greek-shipping-pushes-for-realistic-decarbonisation
Tags: IMO, Decarbonisation, Greek Shipping, EU Maritime Policy
