FMC Chair Joins U.S. Opposition to IMO Carbon Plan With Warning

The chair of the Federal Maritime Commission has joined the U.S. delegation to high-stakes climate talks at the UN’s International Maritime Organization, accompanied by an explicit warning that could signal a more confrontational U.S. posture toward the proposed global shipping carbon pricing regime.

In a statement Monday, FMC Chairman Laura DiBella said she joined the U.S. delegation to the IMO’s 84th Marine Environment Protection Committee session in London to reinforce U.S. opposition to the proposed Net-Zero Framework, describing the plan as “an unnecessary tax on U.S. shippers and vessels operating in international waters.”

The statement explicitly cited FMC authority under 46 U.S.C. §§ 42106 and 42107 concerning “unfavorable shipping conditions,” noting the Commission can take remedial steps, including fines and, in some cases, barring foreign-flag vessels from calling at U.S. ports.

“The FMC is invested in the protection of U.S. cargo and closely monitors regulations or practices of foreign governments that could result in conditions unfavorable to shipping in the foreign trade of the United States,” the statement said.

The FMC has not historically played a visible role in U.S. climate negotiations at the IMO, which are typically led by the U.S. Coast Guard and State Department with support from agencies including the Maritime Administration and Environmental Protection Agency.

DiBella’s participation and the FMC’s statement suggests the Trump administration may be broadening its opposition to the Net-Zero Framework.

The proposed framework, delayed for one year in a bitter showdown at an extraordinary MEPC session last October, would establish greenhouse gas intensity requirements for ships and impose fees on non-compliant vessels while channeling billions toward shipping’s energy transition.

Supporters have argued the system is necessary to narrow the cost gap between fossil fuels and low- and zero-emission fuels while avoiding fragmented regional regulation.

The United States has taken the opposite view. The Trump administration helped lead opposition to the framework last year, contributing to a 57-49 vote to postpone adoption after what many delegates described as an unusually contentious political battle.

DiBella’s statement signals that opposition remains firm. The FMC chair has argued the proposal would have “anticompetitive and inflationary” effects on the global economy and warned costs would ultimately be passed to U.S. consumers.

The intervention comes just days after major shipping groups including BIMCO, International Chamber of Shipping and the World Shipping Council closed ranks behind the IMO and urged governments to preserve a global emissions framework rather than allow a patchwork of regional rules to emerge.

While the Commission statement references authorities tied to unfavorable foreign shipping conditions, it does not specify whether or how those authorities might be applied in connection with an eventual IMO agreement.

MEPC 84 is expected to establish a greenhouse gas working group and continue negotiations under Agenda Item 7 on mid-term emissions measures, while also advancing a broader environmental agenda including air pollution controls, ballast water and underwater radiated noise.

Her presence at the talks carries added weight given her rapid rise at the Commission. President Trump designated her chairman in January just weeks after she was sworn in as an FMC commissioner, underscoring her role in the administration’s broader “Restoring America’s Maritime Dominance” agenda.

But negotiations over the delayed Net-Zero Framework remain the defining issue hanging over the meeting, even though a final adoption vote is not expected until a reconvened extraordinary MEPC session later this year.

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