Marine fuel testing firm VPS says the IMO’s one-year delay to its Net Zero Framework will accelerate regional emissions rules, making it critical for shipowners to start measuring methane and nitrous oxide under FuelEU and ETS.
The company says the move will likely drive greater regional action, with EU schemes such as the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) and FuelEU Maritime becoming even more influential.
“The delay will not slow the push for decarbonisation—it will simply shift the focus to regional frameworks,” VPS said.
VPS highlighted that on 8 October 2025, the European Commission issued new Guidelines for Reporting and Verification of Actual Methane Slip Factors, allowing shipowners to replace conservative default methane values with measured, verifier-approved data under IMO Resolution MEPC.402(83).
Current FuelEU default tables only include CO₂, leaving methane (CH₄) and nitrous oxide (N₂O) unaccounted for across many emerging fuels such as bio- and e-methanol, ammonia, hydrogen, and dual-fuel engines.
VPS warns that without measured data, operators risk misreporting GHG intensity and facing higher ETS costs.
The company says its Emsys technology provides a ready solution, continuously measuring and verifying CH₄, CO₂, and N₂O emissions in line with IMO and EU verification rules.
With voyages from 2025 falling under the EU ETS 2026 cycle, all combustion-related GHGs will be priced and verified, VPS said.
“The framework is here. The tools exist. What remains is to measure now.”
