With the IMO’s revised greenhouse gas strategy setting the course toward net-zero emissions around 2050, 2025 marks a transition year for the shipping industry. The ambition is clear. The operational reality is catching up.

From Target Setting to Structural Change

The IMO strategy introduces indicative checkpoints for 2030 and 2040, while work continues on mid-term measures that may include a global fuel standard and a market-based mechanism.

Although final details are still under development, one structural shift is already visible: carbon governance is moving from regional experimentation to global alignment.

For shipping companies, this means that decarbonisation is no longer a regional compliance issue. It is becoming a strategic planning framework.

The Regional Layer Is Already Here

While the IMO finalises its global measures, Europe has moved ahead with implementation:

• EU ETS now applies to maritime emissions linked to EU ports.

• FuelEU Maritime introduces progressive GHG intensity reduction targets.

This layered regulatory environment means operators must manage both immediate compliance exposure and long-term structural transition at the same time.

What 2025 Is Teaching the Market

Three themes are emerging:

Carbon pricing is becoming embedded in voyage economics.
Fuel strategy decisions increasingly require multi-year visibility.
Scenario-based planning is replacing static compliance modelling.

The IMO net-zero pathway reinforces one reality: the direction of travel is set. The question for operators is no longer whether regulation will expand, but how early they adapt their strategy to it.