Hot Topics

The Chamber team have been working across a wide range of issues on behalf of members over recent months, ensuring the industry's views are heard within UK and international environment policy development with key topics highlighted here; 

• UK ETS: The UK ETS extension to maritime entered into force on 1 July 2026. Maritime operators must now comply with their obligations under The Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading Scheme Order 2020 (the UK ETS Order). The Chamber has complied a specialist UK ETS resource library detailing key legislation, guidance and relevant government contacts. The Chamber has also been collating an extensive spreadsheet of questions from across the Membership and wider industry, for submission to UK Government ahead of entry into force. At this stage, we strongly advise Members to submit urgent questions directly to the Environment Agency helpdesk etmaritimehelp@environment-agency.gov.uk. Please do not hesitate to contact Chamber staff for assistance.

  The Offshore sector will come into scope from 1 January 2027. As things stand, there is a very real risk of double counting for offshore vessels across both the UK and EU ETS. On 11 June 2026, the Chamber convened an engagement forum with representation from the Environment Agency, DfT, DESNZ, classification societies and Offshore operators in order to raise this issue and brainstorm possible solutions. The Chamber is actively participating in the ISOA/DNV Offshore Vessel(OSV) Decarbonisation Forum which is working on this issue, and invites interested Members from the Offshore sector to participate. Chamber staff will continue to advocate for common interpretations of definitions as an interim solution, until such time as the EU’s “Virtual Port Call” concept comes into effect. Please contact Francesco for details and to participate.

• IMO Developments: MEPC 84 concluded on 1 May 2026 with the decision to continue discussions on the Net Zero Framework (NZF) and potential alternatives at two intersessional working groups, later this year. 

  The confirmed dates are:

  ISWG GHG 22: 1 - 4 Sept 2026

  ISWG GHG 23: 23 - 27 November 2026

  MEPC 85: 30 November - 3 December 2026

  MEPC ES.2: 4 December 2026 (one day only)

  Since then, four circulars have been released by the IMO detailing proposed amendments to MARPOL Annex VI to be considered at ISWG GHG 22. These are Circular 5213 by Liberia; Circular 5214 by Brazil; Circular 5215 by Tuvalu; and Circular 5216 by Australia, Canada, UK and South Africa. These proposals range from keeping the NZF as is but revising dates for implementation, all the way to the Liberian proposal which represents a fundamental redesign, removing all GHG pricing and any reference to an IMO fund. Interested Members have the opportunity to feed into discussions via the Chamber’s Carbon Working Group or by contacting the team directly.

  MEPC 84 also approved the North-East Atlantic Emissions Control Area (ECA) which will enter into force on 1 September 2027, creating a continuous emissions control area across much of the North Atlantic. NOx requirements will apply to new ships constructed on or after 1 January 2027, in accordance with the “three-date” principle. SOx requirements take effect 12 months after entry into force, on 1 September 2028. From then on, ships must use fuel with a sulphur content of no more than 0.10%.

• EU ETS and FuelEU Maritime: The Commission’s review of the EU ETS is expected to be published on 15 July 2026. As part of this work, the Chamber strongly supports ECSA’s research and policy advocating for the recycling of EU ETS revenues from shipping back into decarbonisation efforts for the sector. It is only fair that policy focus and financial support is mobilised to support the commercial deployment of low-carbon technologies and fuels, without which ETS risks becoming simply a tax on the industry. See ECSA’s study on The Economic Value of European Shipping here. The Chamber also co-signed a statement led by Armateurs de France, alongside Danish Shipping, Finnish Shipowners Association, Norwegian Shipowners Association, Portugese Shipowners’ Association and Royal Belgian Shipowners’ Association, on the use of the EU ETS revenue for fuel subsidies. 

  Chamber staff have also been supporting Members with numerous issues arising from FuelEU Maritime pooling. The Chamber has raised these with ECSA and, through ECSA, with DG MOVE and EMSA.

• UK Fuel Standard: The real possibility of a UK fuel standard, similar to FuelEU, is beginning to gain momentum. UK Government’s Maritime Decarbonisation Strategy 2025 outlines their policy commitment to introduce domestic fuel regulations. The Chamber expects the first round of consultation to be released between September and December 2026.

  The Chamber believes, and has heard from Members, that informing government decision making ahead of time is the best way to ensure a fair, workable fuel regulation; one that aligns as much as possible with the EU. With this in mind, we are developing a “FuelEU - Lessons Learned” live document, bringing together vital learnings from the implementation and continued application of FuelEU Maritime. Any Members wishing to submit input should contact Ellie.

  Moreover, on 17 June 2026, the Chamber and CLIA UK hosted a roundtable with a number of alternative fuel and technology associations, inspired by ECSA’s Clean Maritime Fuels Platform. It was agreed that there is value in developing a stronger collective narrative across the alternative fuel supply chain, particularly when engaging policymakers and to navigate the complex and evolving regulatory landscape across the UK, EU, and IMO. The founding statement of this new coalition will be released later this year.

UK Chamber Committees and Working Groups

UK Chamber Members can take part in our committees and working groups across key policy areas and industry sectors, including the Carbon Working Group, the Safety of Alternative Fuels Working Group and the Safety and Environment Committee.

These forums sit at the heart of our policy development, giving Members the opportunity to shape positions, share expertise and stay close to emerging developments.

For more information or to join any of the above, please contact Francesco or Ellie. 

Below is an overview of the latest updates from each group:

• Safety of Alternative Fuel Working Group – 16th April 2026

  In the safety/pollution space, the Chamber’s Safety of Alternative Fuels Working Group (SAFWG) met on the 16th April to review and finalise the group’s first year report.  The report and deliverables are currently being finalised for publication.  To be added to the SAFWG, please contact Francesco.

• Offshore Panel: UK and EU ETS – 9 June 2026

  The Chamber hosted a dedicated Offshore Panel on the interplay between UK and EU ETS for Offshore, and the real risk of double counting. Member insights from this session shaped discussions at the Chamber-led, government engagement forum referenced above.

• Carbon Working Group: UK ETS Workshop – 22 June 2026

  Members participated in a deep dive workshop on the UK ETS, ahead of implementation on 1 July 2026. This session focused on outstanding areas for clarification including; defining a port of call, making an emissions reduction claim (ERC) and delegating UK ETS responsibility.

• Carbon Working Group: General – 8 July 2026

  The Chamber team briefed Members on four new proposals circulated by IMO as possible alternatives to the Net Zero Framework and what this may mean for ISWG GHG 22 in September. Members also heard an update on the EU MRV simplification plan and progress on the use of revenues under EU ETS.

Thought Leadership

Chamber Policy Directors Francesco Sandrelli and Katrina Ross have contributed to a range of industry discussions across environmental policy and decarbonisation. Highlights include:

• Chamber Policy Directors Francesco and Katrina presented to an audience of industry stakeholders at the UK ETS & FuelEU Regulatory Update hosted by Lloyds Register. Read the event report here.
• Policy Director Francesco presented on IMO developments at the Argus Green Marine Fuel  conference in Antwerp and moderated a panel.
• Policy Director Francesco participated in the Decarbonisation in Practice panel at the UK Clean Maritime Research Hub 2026 Assembly. Read the event report here.
• Policy Director Katrina and Chamber secondee Jennifer Riley-James spoke with Tradewinds for an article on the launch of UK ETS expansion to maritime. Catch up on their insights here.

Upcoming Events

• Policy Director Francesco will be speaking at the Xinde Marine Forum London 2026 on 16 September 2026. The theme of this year’s forum is “Shipping in Transition: Resilience, Risk and Repricing.”
• Shipping UK, the Chamber’s leading international conference, is coming to London on 6 October 2026, with sessions exploring the UK’s role in shaping global maritime policy across sustainability, geopolitics and security, trade and regulation. Book your ticket here.

How to Get Involved?

Many of the insights, working group outputs and detailed materials referenced above are available exclusively to UK Chamber Members. Organisations interested in accessing this work and contributing to the Chamber’s policy development, amongst many other member benefits, can find out more about membership benefits and how to join the UK Chamber of Shipping by contacting our Director of Membership and Business Development, Tony Jerome.