The Cyprus Shipping Chamber (CSC) expressed its strong support for a joint statement by seven leading international maritime organisations urging governments to adopt the ‘Net-Zero Framework’ (NZF). 

The proposal is set to be discussed at next week’s Extraordinary Session of the International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO) Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC), which will take place from October 14 to 17, 2025. 

The statement, endorsed by the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), the European Community Shipowners’ Associations (ECSA), the Asian Shipowners’ Association (ASA), the International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH), the International Bunker Industry Association (IBIA), the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) and the World Shipping Council (WSC), calls for the NZF to be adopted as a single, global framework to drive the industry’s transition to zero emissions. 

Shipping, which transports about 90 per cent of global trade, remains one of the hardest sectors to decarbonise due to its scale and international nature.  

However, as the joint statement notes, “only global rules can decarbonise a global industry.” Without such a framework, it warns, shipping risks facing “a growing package of unilateral regulations that will increase costs without delivering meaningful progress on decarbonisation.” 

The Cyprus Shipping Chamber supported this position, stressing that governments must back the industry in its transition to a sustainable and fair future under a single global framework. 

Adopting the NZF, it said, would accelerate the shift to zero emissions while ensuring a level playing field for all. 

According to the statement, this is “a unique and historic opportunity” for governments to put in place a comprehensive regulatory structure that incentivises green investment, supports a just transition for seafarers, and ensures effective enforcement worldwide.  

The framework aims to de-risk investment in new fuels and technologies, ensuring that the journey towards net zero by or close to 2050 remains realistic and inclusive. 

Meanwhile, at the closing session of the Maritime Cyprus 2025 conference this week, the chamber organised a panel discussion titled ‘Protecting Shipowners in a Rapidly Changing Environment’, focusing on the evolving role of ship managers amid mounting global pressures.

The session brought together Mark O’Neil (Columbia Group), Sebastian von Hardenberg (Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement), Dieter Rohdenburg (InterMaritime Shipmanagement) and Jan Meyering (Marlow Navigation), who discussed how Cyprus-based ship management companies are adapting to decarbonisation, digitalisation, ESG compliance, and geopolitical uncertainty. 

Speakers said ship managers are increasingly acting as strategic partners to shipowners, safeguarding fleets, ensuring crew welfare, enhancing operational resilience and reinforcing competitiveness in a rapidly shifting landscape.