US threatens visa restrictions, sanctions against UN members that back IMO emissions plan
The United Nations logo adorns a window at the UN headquarters in New York City, US, on Sep 18, 2025. (File photo: REUTERS/Jeenah Moon)
The United States on Friday (Oct 10) threatened to use visa restrictions and sanctions to retaliate against nations that vote in favour of a plan put forward by a United Nations agency to reduce planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions from ocean shipping.
UN member nations are scheduled to vote next week on the International Maritime Organization's Net-Zero Framework proposal to reduce global carbon dioxide gas emissions from the international shipping sector, which handles around 80 per cent of world trade and accounts for close to 3 per cent of global greenhouse gases.
Large container carriers, under pressure from investors to fight climate change, generally agree that a global regulatory framework is crucial to speeding up decarbonisation. Still, some of the world's biggest oil tanker companies said they had "grave concerns" about the proposal.
"The Administration unequivocally rejects this proposal before the IMO and will not tolerate any action that increases costs for our citizens, energy providers, shipping companies and their customers, or tourists," US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, US Energy Secretary Chris Wright and US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a joint statement.
The "proposal poses significant risks to the global economy and subjects not just Americans, but all IMO member states to an unsanctioned global tax regime that levies punitive and regressive financial penalties", they said.
Without global regulation, the maritime industry would face a patchwork of regulations and increasing costs without effectively curbing climate-warming greenhouse gas emissions, supporters of the IMO proposal have said.
The US is considering retaliation against UN countries that support the plan, the US officials said in Friday's statement.
That includes potentially blocking vessels flagged in those nations from US ports, imposing visa restrictions and fees, and slapping sanctions on officials "sponsoring activist-driven climate policies".
