US opposition threatens deal to reduce ship pollution

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) begins a summit meeting in London on Tuesday (14) to adopt a plan to reduce pollution from ships, but vehement opposition from the United States could frustrate the event's objective.

The project seeks to progressively reduce carbon emissions from ships starting in 2028 and includes establishing a tax on the most polluting ships.

The IMO proposal, approved in April by a large majority, is expected to be officially ratified on Friday (17), at the end of the summit meeting of the UN maritime agency, which has 176 members.

A statement released last week by the United States Secretaries of State, Energy and Transportation, Marco Rubio, Chris Wright and Sean Duffy, respectively, said that the Donald Trump administration “unequivocally rejects” the proposal.

In the text, Washington threatens to adopt sanctions and other punitive actions against countries that vote in favor of including a carbon tax on maritime transport.

The "Net-Zero Fund" (NZF) aims to make ships pay a kind of tax on emissions that exceed a certain limit.

The tax would go towards financing a fund that rewards low-emission ships and supports countries vulnerable to climate change.

– Historic climate transformation –

The proposal would allow the highly polluting sector to undergo a historic climate transformation by requiring ships to progressively reduce their carbon emissions starting in 2028.

In January, IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Domínguez of Panama mentioned the goal of achieving greenhouse gas emission-free shipping by 2050.

But the US government expressed its firm opposition on Friday.

"The United States government will not tolerate any measures that would increase costs for our citizens, our energy suppliers, our shipping companies and their customers, or our tourists," the Trump administration said.

In the statement, the Republican government threatens countries that vote in favor of the project with visa restrictions for their crew members, “trade sanctions” or “additional port fees.”

In April, 63 countries voted in favor of the proposal, including European Union (EU) members Brazil, China, India and Japan.

Sixteen countries voted against, including major fuel producers such as Saudi Arabia, Russia and the United Arab Emirates.

The Pacific island countries considered the proposal insufficient and chose to abstain.

For its part, the United States did not participate in the discussions or the vote.

– European support –

The EU maintains full support for the proposal, as does the UK.

The Trump administration's threats could affect "countries sensitive to American influence and that would be harmed by reprisals," a European source admitted to AFP.

“We remain optimistic about the outcome, but it will likely be closer than before, with a higher risk of abstention,” the source added.

The Philippines, which has the world's largest contingent of maritime workers and supported the NZF in April, would be particularly affected by visa restrictions.

Caribbean islands, economically dependent on American cruises, could also be affected by sanctions.

Consulted by AFP, Secretary General Arsenio Domínguez did not comment on Washington's statement, but expressed confidence regarding the final vote.

Since returning to power in January, Donald Trump, who is very attached to fossil fuels, has initiated a complete shift on the climate issue.

The US president recently rejected scientific conclusions on the issue and described “climate change” as the “biggest fraud” in history.

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