Open Letter: Request for clarification on the treatment of specific fuels under the IMO Net-Zero Framework

On 27 October 2026, civil society organisations wrote to IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez. They asked for confirmation that decisions on how specific fuels are treated under the Net-Zero Framework rest with member states, informed by independent science.

The letter follows the Secretary-General’s remarks on LNG at the Global Maritime Forum Annual Summit in Shanghai on 21 October 2026, reported by TradeWinds under the headline “IMO chief makes case for LNG.”

Context • IMO negotiations on the Net-Zero Framework resume on 23 November 2026. • How individual fuels are treated, through the framework’s reward mechanism and its lifecycle assessment (LCA) guidelines, is still under negotiation. • In the most common LNG marine engine type, measured methane slip averages 6.4% of fuel, almost double the 3.5% the IMO assumes (ICCT, FUMES, 2024). • Over a 20-year horizon, LNG offers no climate benefit regardless of engine technology (ICCT, 2020).

Requests The signatories ask the Secretary-General to: 1. Confirm that his remarks were not intended to presuppose any outcome on specific fuels, including LNG and biofuels. 2. Restate publicly that fuel treatment will be decided by member states, informed by independent, science-based LCA guidelines. 3. Ensure equal access to information and process for all delegations, including any Secretariat technical briefings on fuels. 4. Anchor the discussion in the 2023 IMO Strategy, including its target of at least 5%, striving for 10%, zero or near-zero emission energy by 2030.

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