What to expect for marine fuel regulation at MEPC 84

As the shipping industry digests the outcomes of MEPC 83, attention is already turning to what comes next.

The 84th session of the International Maritime Organisation’s Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 84) is provisionally scheduled for April 2026 in London.

With sweeping new emissions policies now in motion, this upcoming meeting is expected to move from strategy to implementation – and the oil, gas, and petrochemical industries will need to stay alert.

Finalising the Net-Zero Framework

Chief among the priorities will be hammering out the fine details of the IMO’s new Net-Zero Framework.  

At MEPC 83, the committee approved a package of greenhouse gas regulations combining a fuel carbon intensity standard with a market-based mechanism.  

The framework will begin phasing in by 2027, so MEPC 84 will be the key venue for developing guidance on how compliance will work in practice.

This includes defining the structure for global fuel GHG registries, levy collection mechanisms, and fuel certification systems.  

For refinery operators and marine fuel suppliers, this has serious implications: not only will fuels need to meet carbon benchmarks, but their lifecycle emissions may need to be verified and documented. The era of lab-tested fuel carbon intensity is fast approaching.

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Strengthening the regulation of methane slip

Methane emissions will also be high on the agenda.  

LNG has gained traction as a transitional marine fuel but unburned methane, known as methane slip, remains a potent climate concern.  

MEPC 83 approved new measurement guidelines for methane and nitrous oxide emissions, and MEPC 84 will begin reviewing the results.  

We may see early proposals for emissions limits or incentives to drive down slip, especially as the IMO’s lifecycle approach now counts methane’s climate impact alongside carbon dioxide.

Expanding Emission Control Areas

Another item likely to return is the expansion of Emission Control Areas (ECAs).  

At MEPC 83, the committee approved the designation of the North-East Atlantic as a new ECA, pending final adoption.  

MEPC 84 may confirm the timeline and enforcement rules for that zone, and it’s possible new candidate areas will be discussed.  

More ECAs mean more zones with strict 0.10% sulphur limits and NOx Tier III requirements, developments that will ripple across bunker fuel markets, ship design, and emissions control technologies.

The committee will also conclude its review of the Ballast Water Management Convention, a topic of ongoing concern for tankers and chemical carriers.  

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MEPC 84 is expected to finalise changes to testing standards, enforcement protocols, and exemptions, helping regulators and operators apply the rules more consistently across ports.  

This has direct relevance for quality assurance teams tasked with monitoring ballast system performance and ensuring regulatory compliance.

Air pollution and scrubber regulation could also make headlines.  

The IMO is currently assessing the environmental impact of scrubber washwater discharges, which contain acidic and potentially harmful residues.  

MEPC 84 may advance proposals to restrict or more tightly monitor these discharges, especially in ECAs and near coastlines.  

This could accelerate a shift away from high-sulphur fuel oil combined with scrubbers and toward inherently cleaner fuels. Again, this raises the bar for fuel monitoring and emissions instrumentation.

New policies on life cycle assessment

Life-cycle assessment will play an increasingly central role in IMO policymaking. MEPC 84 is expected to review updates to its Life-Cycle GHG Assessment (LCA) guidelines for marine fuels.  

The goal is to better account for emissions from production, transport, and end use – the so-called “well-to-wake” perspective.  

This has implications for how alternative fuels like ammonia or synthetic methanol are evaluated, especially when they’re produced using grid electricity or fossil inputs.

Meanwhile, the committee is expected to continue exploratory work on onboard carbon capture systems.  

These technologies, while still early-stage, are being tested at sea and may eventually allow ships to offload captured CO₂ at ports.  

MEPC 84 will advance the conversation on how such systems could be certified, monitored, and regulated under MARPOL.

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A drive for transparency

Underlying all these technical debates is a growing push for transparency.  

One amendment approved at MEPC 83 will allow public access to anonymised ship fuel and emissions data from the IMO’s Data Collection System.  

MEPC 84 may take further steps toward digitisation and real-time emissions monitoring, which would directly impact suppliers of onboard monitoring equipment, remote sensing tools, and electronic compliance platforms.

In short, MEPC 84 won’t just be a follow-up meeting.  

It will shape how the shipping industry puts into practice the most consequential environmental rules in its history.  

For businesses in the process monitoring, fuel certification, and compliance space, this session will provide valuable signals on where regulatory demands are heading.

By Jed Thomas