According to the International Maritime Organization (IMO), campaigners are urging the exclusion of crop-derived biofuels from the organisation’s forthcoming Net-Zero Framework for the maritime sector. During its recent Extraordinary Session of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC ES.2), the decision to adopt the framework was postponed to 2026, but active discussions during the interim period focus on whether certain biofuels should qualify under clean-fuel incentives.
The point of contention centres on high-Indirect Land Use Change (ILUC) biofuels — particularly those sourced from soy and oil-palm crops. Evidence cited by the campaigners suggests that such biofuels can trigger deforestation, agricultural displacement and land conversion, ultimately nullifying their climate-benefit claims. Some analyses indicate that, once ILUC effects are considered, these fuels may emit more greenhouse gases than the fossil fuels they were intended to replace.
Further concern is raised over the limited scalability of genuinely waste-based biofuels. For example, used cooking oil (UCO) is identified as a lower-emission pathway, yet its global supply for maritime-fuel purposes is estimated to cover only about 5 % of international shipping’s energy demand. That mismatch signals a risk of pivoting toward less-sustainable feedstocks, undermining decarbonisation if crop-based biofuels are embraced by default.
Additional issues highlighted include weak auditing frameworks, potential for supply-chain fraud, and displacement of UCO from current uses. Equally, the expansion of palm-oil plantations for fuel purposes has been linked to deforestation — including in protected forest zones — threatening biodiversity and indigenous land rights in sensitive regions.
Campaigners contend that the IMO should follow precedents set by major regional and industrial policies — such as the EU Fuel EU Maritime initiative, the UK SAF Mandate and the International Civil Aviation Organization CORSIA scheme — which either exclude or limit high-ILUC biofuels or incorporate ILUC emissions in life-cycle accounting. They emphasise that the shipping-industry framework must not lag behind.
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Source: American Journal of Transportation
