The United States has urged the International Maritime Organisation to drop its proposed Net Zero Framework, warning it risks turning the UN shipping body into a global climate-policy authority, reports Saint Petersburg's PortNews.

Marco Sylvester, deputy assistant secretary for transportation affairs at the US Department of State, told the Capital Link Greek Shipping Forum in Athens that Washington's stance was not a retreat from cooperation but concern that the framework would reshape the IMO's core mandate.

He said common sense was needed, arguing the proposal would freeze progress rather than facilitate it. Mr Sylvester warned the economic burden of zero-emission targets would flow through the supply chain to consumers, and urged shipowners to be clear about what is technically and commercially achievable.

Greece's maritime affairs minister Vasilis Kikilias said regulatory costs move from ship to charterer and then to end users, while stressing the transition is being steered toward fuels that remain marginal and lack infrastructure. Cyprus deputy minister Marina Hadjimanolis called for greater realism, while Malta's transport minister Chris Bonett said the EU should act as a single bloc.

The Net Zero Framework has become a central fault line at the IMO as governments and shipping interests weigh faster emissions cuts against competitiveness and the risk of fragmented regional rules. The IMO sets global standards for safety, security and environmental performance in shipping through conventions adopted by member states.