IMO Mid-Term GHG reference

IMO Mid-Term GHG
2030, 2050, well-to-wake.

The IMO Mid-Term GHG measures package — the 2030 absolute reduction target and the 2050 net-zero ambition, the shift from a tank-to-wake to a well-to-wake emissions framing that widens what the operator has to disclose and buy, the basket of measures (technical, operational, innovative) and the upcoming IMO GHG intensity standard as the soonest-binding lever, and the vessel types and ship-energy-efficiency rules (EEXI / CII) the new regime layers on top of. Direct line: hello@astrabemarine.com.

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Where this fits

A reference page for IMO’s mid-term GHG package — not a replacement for counsel.

The Mid-Term GHG measures sit at the apex of the 2025–2028 maritime regulatory wave, alongside the EU ETS phase-in, Med ECA, CII & EEXI, IHM, and CSRD / ESG. This page is the working reference for the 2030 / 2050 targets and the well-to-wake framing, the basket-of-measures approach (technical, operational, innovative) with the upcoming GHG intensity standard, and the vessel types and EEXI / CII overlap the new regime layers on top of.

Compliance mandate

Full regulatory-clock mandate, end-to-end

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IMO Mid-Term GHG detail

2030 / 2050, well-to-wake, basket, vessel scope

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Targets & framing

The 2030 reduction, the 2050 net-zero ambition, and the move to well-to-wake.

The Mid-Term GHG package sits on three pillars: a 2030 absolute reduction target against a 2008 baseline, a 2050 net-zero ambition consistent with the Paris-aligned pathways, and a shift from a tank-to-wake to a well-to-wake emissions framing that brings fuel production, transport, and vessel operation inside the same accounting perimeter. The third pillar is the one that widens what the operator has to disclose and buy.

Anchor year
−20% / −30%
2030
2030 — absolute reduction target against 2008.
An absolute reduction of total annual GHG emissions from international shipping against a 2008 baseline. The target is the first hard interim milestone on the trajectory to net-zero and the first step at which the headline figure becomes a binding numeric — calibrated per the IMO revision cycle and refined as the basket-of-measures dial turns toward the more demanding tiers.
Anchor year
Net-zero
2050
2050 — net-zero ambition across the international fleet.
A net-zero ambition for international shipping consistent with the Paris-aligned 1.5°C pathway. The 2050 headline is what board-level transition plans, ESRS E1 climate strategy disclosures, and charterer preference frameworks are read against — and the trajectory the 2030 interim is calibrated against in turn.
Anchor year
Well-to-wake
WTW
Well-to-wake — emissions measured from fuel production through vessel operation.
The shift from a tank-to-wake framing (measured at the vessel stack) to a well-to-wake framing (measured from fuel production through transport and combustion). The well-to-wake perimeter widens what the operator has to disclose and what bunker purchasing teams have to buy — bringing fuel lifecycle CO2eq factors, methane slip, and upstream supply-chain evidence into the same MRV / DCS reporting chain as the tank-to-wake return.

Basket of measures

Technical, operational, innovative. Plus the upcoming IMO GHG intensity standard.

The Mid-Term GHG package implements its targets through a basket-of-measures approach that combines technical, operational, and innovative levers. The basket sits on the same footing as instrument-level regulation — operators meet the obligation through some combination of the three categories, with the soonest-binding lever being the upcoming IMO GHG intensity standard layered on top of the existing CII scheme.

  • MeasureTechnical

    Energy-efficient ship design and propulsion technology.

    Technical measures cover the vessel-side technology stack — hull and propeller design, wind-assisted propulsion, alternative-fuel propulsion (LNG, methanol, ammonia, hydrogen, batteries), and the constructive-efficiency standards that would be layered on top of the existing EEXI technical-file framework. The technical lever is the slowest-moving but the longest-lived — capital commitments made today shape the basket the operator can draw on across the trajectory.

  • MeasureOperational

    Voyage optimisation, slow steaming, and operational switching.

    Operational measures cover what the operator does with the asset on every voyage — speed optimisation, voyage planning, trim and draft optimisation, hull cleaning cadence, fuel-quality switching, fleet routage, and the same SEEMP-style operational discipline already in place for CII. The operational lever is the fastest-moving, the cheapest to deploy, and the one most visibly read by charterers under CII clauses and by flag Administrations in SEEMP Part III review.

  • MeasureInnovative

    Zero or near-zero technologies, carbon-removal, and bunker-side innovation.

    Innovative measures cover the new-technology slate the basket sits on — zero or near-zero emission propulsion technologies, onboard and shoreside carbon capture, wind and solar assisted propulsion, and the contractual machinery for bunker-side innovation (low-carbon fuels, bio-blends, e-fuels). The innovative lever is the one most exposed to fuel-cell and propulsion-track risk, and the one the MTGHG basket credits most heavily against the longer-term 2050 trajectory.

Upcoming binding lever
IMO GHG intensity

The upcoming IMO GHG intensity standard — the soonest-binding dial turn.

Just as the CII rating scheme layers an annual carbon-intensity dial on top of EEXI, the upcoming IMO GHG intensity standard will layer an intensity-based metric on top of the MTGHG basket, with binding trajectories and Administration review comparable to SEEMP Part III. The standard is the soonest-binding lever in the package, the one charterers will price into clauses first, and the one that ties the well-to-wake framing back to a comparable intensity measure across the fleet.

Vessel & rule scope

The general fleet the new regime captures, and the EEXI / CII rules it layers on top of.

The Mid-Term GHG measures cover most commercial vessel types calling international trades, with the operative boundaries read against vessel size (the same GT threshold the existing EEXI framework uses) rather than propulsion or flag. The new regime is layered on top of EEXI and CII rather than replacing them — the constructive standard stays where EEXI put it, the operational dial stays where CII put it, and the intensity standard slotted alongside them.

Coverage

GT-thresholded · full international trading fleet

The Mid-Term GHG measures capture the general international trading fleet above the GT threshold the existing EEXI framework already uses. The operative boundary is gross tonnage, not flag or propulsion — yacht and recreational tonnage fall outside the threshold, and the in-scope commercial tonnage reads the regime on the same constructive-file footing EEXI administers.

Vessel type

  • Cargo vessels (general / bulk)

    General cargo and dry bulk carriers are in scope for the Mid-Term GHG measures at the same GT threshold the EEXI framework already applies. The new regime’s basket applies on top of the existing technical-file and rating-band framework — the constructive constraints EEXI sets and the operational dial CII sets continue to govern, with the well-to-wake framing widening the evidence chain the operator maintains.

  • Tankers (oil, chemical, product)

    Oil, chemical, and product tankers are in scope. The constructive standard (EEXI) and the operational dial (CII) already bind tanker tonnage against a per-ccm-of-transport-work metric; the new regime adds the well-to-wake perimeter and the basket levers on top, with the fuel lifecycle evidence chain surfacing in the same DCS return the EU ETS MRV already consumes.

  • Container vessels

    Container ships are in scope. Container trades carry the highest absolute emissions footprint of the commodity vessel categories and the most visible per-TEU-mile intensity metric the new regime will be read against — chart clauses and disclosure frameworks will price the well-to-wake framing first on container tonnage.

  • Gas carriers (LNG / LPG)

    LNG and LPG carriers are in scope. Gas-carrier trades sit at the frontier of the new regime — the alternative-fuel propulsion track (LNG as fuel) interacts with the well-to-wake framing through methane-slip accounting, and the constructive standard EEXI sets has to be reconciled against the alternative-fuel propulsion line the operator has committed to.

  • Passenger vessels (ferries, cruise)

    Passenger vessels — ferries, cruise ships — are in scope at the standard international-trade threshold. Ro-pax ferry operations and cruise itineraries carry a substantial shore-power and at-berth leg, which the new regime reads against the same well-to-wake perimeter as the at-sea leg, and against the auxiliary-boiler / shore-power evidence chain the bunker slate already maintains.

Overlap / supersession

  • EEXI

    EEXI — the constructive standard the new regime layers on top of.

    The Energy Efficiency Existing Ship Index (EEXI) sets a constructive baseline — a vessel-level cap on design carbon intensity, applied at survey and re-attested at each major survey cycle. The MTGHG regime does not replace EEXI; the technical-file framework remains the constructive floor and the basket-of-measures levers (especially technical and innovative) are calibrated to drive the fleet down from the EEXI baseline.

  • CII

    CII — the operational dial the new regime runs alongside.

    The Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII) sets an operational dial — an annual rating from A through E and a SEEMP Part III correction-plan obligation triggered by a D or E rating. The MTGHG regime runs the new GHG intensity standard alongside CII; CII remains the annual operational rating, with the new standard layered on as a binding intensity trajectory through 2030 and on to 2050.

Open the conversation

Tell us the fleet, the basket mix, and the 2030 exposure. We respond within one working day.

Same direct-line model as the broader compliance mandate — no intake form, no sales qualification. Our team takes the first reply and routes the matter to the named counsel; the scoping call runs once the counsel is on the file.

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