Siglar Carbon Scheme Navigator

New Zealand’s Marine Protection Rules Amendments 2026 took effect on 21 September, removing mandatory international carbon-intensity provisions under Part 199 for domestic-voyaging ships of 400 GT and above. International-voyage MARPOL Annex VI obligations continue. The amendments enable a future optional domestic pathway and a national fuel-changeover instrument, whose detailed requirements remain to be issued. Domestic operators should confirm vessel and voyage classification before changing compliance workflows.
The 30 September watch confirmed the executed addendum to South Coast AQMD’s agreement with Los Angeles and Long Beach. The ports have committed to enhance clean-ship incentives aligned with Environmental Ship Index 2.0; approvals occurred in August and the signed addendum is dated 10 September. Final programme terms, eligibility, payments and any tariff changes still require development, public review and board approval. Operators can prepare vessel evidence, but should wait for adopted terms before including benefits in voyage economics.
Gabon’s 18 September Council of Ministers communiqué recorded a draft decree assigning climate-mechanism and national GHG-registry functions to the National Climate Council’s Permanent Secretariat, with AGADEV representing the State in sovereign carbon-credit negotiation and commercialisation. This is a governance proposal. The communiqué does not confirm final enactment or revised maritime filing and payment procedures; those implementation points remain to be verified.
China’s revised ship entry and exit reporting measures entered into force on 20 September. They apply to Chinese-flag ships within Chinese jurisdiction and include pollutant discharge and reception among reporting triggers. An exemption applies to specified international voyages completing prescribed international port formalities. Affected operators should check voyage applicability, MaritimePass reporting and receipt retention.
Korea announced Cabinet approval on 22 September of an environmentally friendly marine-fuel supplier framework, covering registration and vessel-safety criteria. Transitional arrangements permit existing cargo vessels to supply methanol through 2028 and ammonia through 2030. Gazette commencement and local procedures require confirmation. The development matters for future bunker availability and supplier selection; the announcement alone does not establish a new obligation for visiting ships.
Lloyd’s Register and industry partners announced an LNG-carrier continuous emissions measurement trial on 16 September. The project will assess measured emissions against default-factor approaches. Its findings may inform future reporting and fuel decisions, but prescribed compliance methods should change only when the relevant authorities accept an alternative.
IMO’s 29 September Sea of Marmara ferry study assessed 67 ferries serving 26 ports. Its mixed electric and hybrid scenario projects about 63% lower annual GHG emissions by 2050 than diesel business as usual. Charging infrastructure, investment and operating arrangements will determine delivery; the study introduces no binding fleet requirement.
EPA opened comments on 28 September on draft air permits for the proposed Blue Marlin offshore crude-loading port off Louisiana, with submissions due on 29 October. Prospective users should monitor final loading and vapor-control conditions. This is a project-specific permitting process, rather than a general vessel emissions rule.
Two existing measures reached execution points on 30 September: the EU ETS deadline for surrendering allowances covering 70% of verified 2025 in-scope maritime emissions, and the start of Shanghai’s previously announced National Day controls. Companies should retain completed surrender evidence.
For affected Shanghai calls, the immediate change is that the restrictions are now operative, requiring operation schedules to follow the applicable windows through 4 or 8 October.

IMO Resolution MEPC.398(83) entered into force on 1 September 2026, creating the formal NOx recertification route for installed marine diesel engines that have been substantially modified or are seeking certification to a previously uncertified NOx Tier. The update highlights that the Engine Emission test plan must be agreed with the Administration before testing, and affected retrofit, conversion and dry-dock projects should screen test readiness, certification evidence and possible schedule impacts. Norway’s RSR 13-2026 also took effect on the same date, incorporating MEPC.398(83) into Norwegian environmental safety rules.
Gabon’s amended 2026 finance law was confirmed through a newly retrieved Official Gazette facsimile. The maritime Carbon Contribution rate is confirmed at 21,400 FCFA/tCO₂, double the original 10,700 FCFA/tCO₂. The amended mechanics confirm 50% attribution for movements between a Gabon port and a foreign port, AGADEV invoicing through the Gabon Sovereign Carbon Registry, monthly declaration and payment by the 15th of the following month, and a statutory statement that the charge may not be refactured. The first accountable operations period and practical filing/payment route still require confirmation with AGADEV, DGI or the local agent.
Paris MoU’s current 2026 PSC instruction set was identified as an important environmental inspection signal. The guidance covers MARPOL checks for oil pollution, crude-oil washing, noxious liquid substances, sewage, garbage and alleged illegal discharges. It does not create new MARPOL obligations, but it makes the inspection logic visible, including record cross-checks, oily-water equipment testing, sludge/bilge capacity checks, crew familiarity and potential detention triggers.
The Norwegian Sea NOx ECA construction threshold became operational for ships without a building contract. For ships intended to operate in the Norwegian Sea ECA, the Tier III cohort applies if the building contract was placed on or after 1 March 2026, or, without a contract, the keel was laid or a similar construction stage was reached on or after 1 September 2026, or the ship is delivered on or after 1 March 2030. The separate 0.10% sulphur limit for the Norwegian Sea ECA begins on 1 March 2027.
China-related operational controls became a recurring watchpoint. Nansha Maritime Safety Office reported intensified checks on bunkering and pollution-cleanup operations under China’s Ecological Environment Code, with scrutiny of operation-plan declarations, pollution-prevention equipment, transfer connections, valves, emergency shutdowns, anti-leak controls and crew readiness.
The IMO ISWG-GHG 22 outcome was reported: the group did not resolve the remaining Net-Zero Framework issues, and no new ship-level carbon price, fuel-GHG standard, reporting duty or effective date arose from that September session.
A U.S. EPA consultation was added to the watchlist. EPA proposed changes to NPDES definitions and vessel exclusions for pollutant additions from unsecured vessels or floating craft in the U.S. contiguous zone or ocean. The proposal is not binding, comments are due 19 October 2026, and the update notes that it would not change requirements in waters of the United States, including territorial seas, or separate controls under VIDA, MPRSA or OPA.
Shanghai MSA issued National Day period pollution-prevention and dangerous-goods controls for Shanghai port. Affected operating units handling bulk liquid dangerous-goods vessel calls during the restricted period must submit vessel movement forecasts and emergency contact forms by 24 September 2026. From 30 September, restrictions apply to ship-to-ship transfer of bulk liquid dangerous goods, hold-cleaning, certain bunkering operations in the Huangpu River area, and navigation/berthing for Category X and high-risk Category Y bulk chemical vessels in specified windows. This may affect arrival/departure timing, bunkering, transfer, cleaning and chemical-vessel routing for Shanghai calls between 30 September and 8 October.

China’s Ecological Environment Code entered into force on 15 August 2026, consolidating national requirements covering compliant marine fuel, shore power, ballast water, vessel discharges, pollution certificates and equipment, waste reception, monitoring and environmental records. Jiangsu MSA subsequently confirmed enforcement preparation, while the application of certain IHM provisions to foreign ships requires local confirmation.
EU ETS shipping companies must surrender allowances by 30 September 2026 covering 70% of verified 2025 in-scope maritime emissions. Operators should complete emissions reconciliation, Union Registry access, EUA procurement and contractual settlement checks before the deadline.
Norway formally incorporated IMO Resolution MEPC.398(83) into its environmental safety regulations. From 1 September 2026, affected engine modifications and alternative-fuel conversions require an agreed NOx certification pathway, Engine Emission test plan, supporting Technical File and updated certification evidence.
BIMCO’s Tripartite Joint Industry Working Group opened a non-binding consultation on using DNV’s Operational Vessel Data standard as a common framework for exchanging log-abstract and noon-report data used in maritime emissions reporting. The corrected consultation deadline is 15 September 2026.
AMSA warned that ships using convention-inconsistent statutory certificate extensions may be detained in Australia. Extensions must have a valid convention basis, cover only the minimum period required and support a direct voyage to the agreed survey port rather than continued commercial trading.
AMSA confirmed Australian implementation of the joint Paris/Tokyo MoU Cargo Securing Concentrated Inspection Campaign from 1 September to 30 November 2026. The campaign is not environmental, but creates immediate deficiency, detention and port-call exposure for foreign-flagged vessels.
Djibouti and Tanzania opened official discussions on sovereign-carbon monitoring, valuation and potential cooperation. No maritime contribution rate, vessel scope, reporting obligation, registry procedure or effective date was adopted, so no Tanzanian carbon exposure should yet be added to voyage-cost models.

Gabon’s 2026 Finance Law confirmed a maritime Carbon Contribution of 10,700 FCFA/tCO₂, with 50% of emissions from international Gabon port movements attributed to Gabon. Monthly declarations are due by the 15th, with vessel-level invoicing and a 3% monthly late-payment penalty.
A Gabonese state press-agency report said an amending finance law doubled the rate to 21,400 FCFA/tCO₂ and restricted passing the charge to clients. The primary amended legal text was not retrieved, so the revised rate and commercial-allocation provision remain provisional.
IMO Resolution MEPC.398(83) enters into force on 1 September 2026, introducing a formal NOx recertification pathway for substantially modified engines, alternative-fuel conversions and engines seeking certification to a previously uncertified Tier. Engine Emission test plans must be agreed with the Administration before testing.
Panama’s seasonal cetacean-protection measure took effect on 1 August and runs through 30 November 2026. Official material describes a 10-knot limit in designated Gulf of Panama routing areas, potentially affecting Panama Canal approach times, fuel and emissions estimates, scheduling and charterparty exposure.
Shanghai MSA’s consultation on proposed ship hold-cleaning rules closed on 8 August. The draft addressed pollution prevention, residue and wastewater management, contractor controls and documentation, but no final binding rule or implementation date was identified.
South Coast AQMD considered a proposed addendum for enhanced clean-ship incentives at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. No executed addendum, Harbor Commission approval, final tariff terms or current vessel-operator obligation was confirmed.
The USCG consultation on its retrospective analysis of the 2012 ballast-water discharge standards closed on 10 August. The first increased-volume UK ETS auction linked to maritime inclusion took place on 12 August; both were policy or procurement milestones and did not introduce new shipboard reporting requirements.

European Commission COM(2026) 616 proposed EU ETS / MSR revisions with maritime provisions on transhipment-port treatment, offshore activity and support for sustainable maritime fuels. Proposed, not binding.
COM(2026) 620 proposed changes to EU MRV and FuelEU workflows, including energy-use data, verifier / database mechanics, smaller-vessel coverage and offshore-support operations. Proposed, not binding.
MCA MGN 711 linked environmental deficiencies to detention, stoppage or refusal of access and reinforced UK port-call anomaly reporting and CERS 3 timing.
USCG opened comments through 10 August on its retrospective analysis of the 2012 ballast-water discharge standards, including BWMS cost and retrofit assumptions.
CARB published a Shore Power Enforcement page, increasing visibility over at-berth emissions control, vessel-visit reporting, exceptions and audit exposure at California ports.6. Panama MMC-193 updated the optional electronic MARPOL and Ballast Water Record Book framework for Panama-flagged ships.
EEX published revised 2026 and new 2027 EUA auction calendars on 30 July, closing the end-July watchpoint and updating carbon-procurement inputs; late-2027 volumes remain preliminary.

UK ETS maritime entered into force on 1 July 2026 for in-scope UK domestic voyages and UK in-port emissions, creating live UKA, monitoring, reporting and pass-through exposure.
The revised UKA calendar added 983,000 allowances across remaining 2026 auctions; the first increased-volume auction is 12 August 2026.
Paris MoU published its 2025 Annual Report and performance lists for use from 1 July, affecting flag / RO performance and Ship Risk Profile inspection exposure.
EPA proposed a USD 59,000 CWA / VGP settlement for Ninghai, citing BWTS sampling, functionality-monitoring and annual-report deficiencies; comments closed 31 July.
AMSA's 2026-27 National Compliance Plan identified environmental protection, pollution prevention and exhaust-gas-cleaning-system checks as inspection priorities.
EEX revised the 2026 EU ETS auction calendar on 13 July; September-December volumes remained indicative pending the final MSR adjustment.
Singapore MPA Circular No. 7 of 2026 translated MEPC 84 outcomes into a flag-state implementation watch, including DCS / CII, SEEMP, EEDI, BWM and Annex VI amendments entering into force on 1 September 2027.

FuelEU Maritime: the first Document of Compliance / compliance-balance milestone fell due on 30 June 2026. Confirm verifier status, database records, pooling / borrowing and penalty settlement.
UK ETS maritime: official compliance guidance published 22 June clarified METS account setup, an operator monitoring plan within 42 days of first in-scope activity, CO2 / N2O / CH4 monitoring, verified reporting and allowance surrender.
UK ETS market guidance confirmed that ICE would revise the 2026 UKA auction calendar after the 1 July maritime start, affecting procurement and voyage-cost assumptions.
Paris MoU published MARPOL PSC inspection guidance covering Annex I, Annex II and Annex V controls, investigation procedures, cargo prewash / stripping and environmental recordkeeping.
DG MOVE published FuelEU competent-authority routing; IMO biofuel guidance MEPC.1/Circ.905/Rev.1 was surfaced for DCS / CII use from 1 January 2027.

UK ETS maritime goes live 1 July 2026. 🔗

IMO’s SBSTA 64 submission confirmed MEPC 84 progress on Net-Zero Framework timing, marine-fuel LCA work and GHG-related technical work. 🔗

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IMO opened MEPC 84, with Net-Zero Framework, CII review, ECAs, ballast water, plastics and biofouling on the environmental agenda. 🔗

Twin deadlines passed: verified 2025 EU ETS emissions due 31 March 2026 (70% surrender obligation follows 30 September), and FuelEU third-party verification completed by 31 March.

FuelEU compliance balances are due for approval in the FuelEU database by 30 April 2026.