The European Community Shipowners’ Associations (ECSA) has called for EU shipping rules to be withdrawn once the IMO agrees on its Net-Zero Framework (NZF), saying a single global system is needed, according to a LinkedIn post from ECSA on Wednesday

Speaking at the Capital Link Forum in Athens last week, Mikki Koskinen, President of ECSA, said European shipping represents about 35% of the global fleet and carries 76% of the EU’s external trade, underlining its central role in global supply chains.

Koskinen reiterated the group’s support for the IMO process and said EU measures should be treated as transitional.

He added that the European Commission should make clear that regional rules will be withdrawn once a global agreement is adopted at the IMO.

The comments come as regional shipping decarbonisation measures, including the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) for shipping and the FuelEU Maritime regulation, begin to reshape compliance costs and fuel choices for shipowners operating in Europe.

ECSA also said revenues from the EU ETS for shipping should be used to accelerate uptake of clean maritime technologies and fuels, helping bridge the price gap between conventional and low- and zero-carbon bunker fuels.

The NZF did not secure a final vote in October after opposition from the US-Saudi-led bloc, with delegates instead agreeing to postpone a decision by one year.