London, April 11, 2025 – The negotiations of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) have just concluded, ending with the adoption of the draft amendment to Annex VI of the MARPOL Convention. During an intense week of work in London, meetings and summits were held between representatives from countries around the world to define a clear global decarbonization strategy for shipping, particularly with regard to medium-term measures on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Assarmatori closely followed various technical discussions through the participation of engineer Simone Parizzi, Head of Naval Technology, Environment and Safety at the shipowners’ association. These sessions also involved representatives from the Italian Ministry of Environment and Energy Security (MASE) and the permanent delegation to the IMO at the Italian Embassy in London, led by Commander Giuseppe Spera.

“We strongly believe it is essential for the Italian maritime industry to be present in the places where environmental policies are shaped,” explains Assarmatori President Stefano Messina. “Policies which, as we have seen with the European Union’s Fit for 55 package, are now decisive for the sector and cannot simply be dealt with downstream, once they are transposed into national legislation. We must be on the ground at these events, contributing where possible with our expertise, experience, and in-depth understanding of the sector—particularly regarding the unique characteristics of the Italian context. This awareness led us, three years ago, to establish and progressively strengthen our Brussels office and to be present, as we were this week in London, at the heart of where such policies are born and developed. In this regard, it was both a pleasure and an honor to work closely with the Italian permanent delegation in London, to whom we extend our gratitude for their sensitivity and authority on complex issues.”

“Our goal,” adds Simone Parizzi, “was to closely monitor the negotiations, advocating for final decisions that are as consistent and aligned as possible with currently available technology and alternative fuels, always following the principle of technological neutrality and avoiding impractical solutions driven by ideological and counterproductive environmentalism. Together with the Italian delegation, we highlighted the specific characteristics of our country, where ports are embedded within cities, and maritime transport is crucial for industrial development and the territorial continuity of the largest island population in Europe. There is no doubt that for Italy, the real transitional fuels are liquefied natural gas—with a view toward future bio-based blends—methanol, and biofuels, as we have long maintained and as confirmed by authoritative studies. While the negotiations were influenced by geopolitical tensions, they nonetheless marked an important step toward establishing unified and global rules for the decarbonization of maritime transport—rules that must not be set on a regional basis, which would be unsustainable for a sector that is, by definition, international.”