International Maritime Organization (IMO) Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez has urged member states to show “effective multilateralism” as the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) opened its 84th session in London on 27 April.

In his opening remarks, Dominguez first addressed the situation in the Strait of Hormuz, warning that thousands of seafarers remain stranded aboard vessels in the Gulf and face significant risks. He said the longer the situation continues, the greater the danger of serious accidents, including environmental incidents, and renewed his call for de-escalation.

Turning to the week’s agenda, the IMO chief highlighted the need for meaningful progress on the IMO Net-Zero Framework for international shipping. He said submissions to MEPC 84, together with discussions during last week’s Intersessional Working Group on Greenhouse Gas Emissions, showed a genuine effort to address concerns raised during the extraordinary session in October 2025.

Dominguez welcomed progress on guidelines supporting the technical element of the framework, particularly the greenhouse gas fuel intensity (GFI) component. He noted that work on GFI calculation guidelines, alongside fuel certification and life-cycle assessment rules, provides a basis for further progress on globally harmonised reporting and practical implementation.

“My request to you is that we engage in constructive and pragmatic exchanges. Listen to one another, there is no need to argue. We are adult enough to agree to disagree,” Dominguez said. “There is no reason to repeat what happened last October.”

He also pointed to IMO fuel consumption reporting data submitted to the session showing that the carbon intensity of international shipping has fallen by more than 38% compared with 2008.

Dominguez also said delegates should continue reviewing short-term greenhouse gas measures, including Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII) rules, and consider emerging technologies such as onboard carbon capture, wind propulsion, and monitoring of methane and nitrous oxide emissions.

MEPC 84 is being chaired by Dr Harry Conway of Liberia, with Hanqiang Tan of Singapore serving as vice-chair.