Cyprus-based shipping executive urges rethink of IMO Net-Zero Framework
Capt. Eberhard Koch told a Tokyo maritime forum that carbon charges risk raising shipowners’ costs without ensuring substantial emissions cuts.
Tokyo, Japan. Cyprus-based shipping executive Capt. Eberhard Koch has urged a reassessment of the proposed Net-Zero Framework from the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), warning that carbon charges could increase shipowners’ financial burdens without necessarily producing significant emissions cuts.
Fuel access and regulatory priorities
Koch, who is chairman, CEO and partner at Osterreichischer Lloyd Seereederei (Cyprus) Ltd, addressed the 5th Annual Capital Link Japan Maritime Forum on October 16. He reiterated his backing for lower shipping emissions but questioned whether carbon-linked penalties would be effective before operators could obtain adequate supplies of viable alternatives.
He argued that decarbonising maritime transport depended on access to genuinely zero-emission fuels, supported by dependable infrastructure and supply.
“Give us truly zero-emission alternative fuels, together with the reliable supply and infrastructure needed to use them and we will burn them!” he said.
Koch advocated a more practical approach to regulation, prioritising the availability of fuels, the readiness of technology and efficiency gains across fleets already in service.
Cost concerns for smaller operators
According to Koch, smaller and medium-sized shipping businesses could be especially exposed to rising operating expenses, and consumers might ultimately bear part of those extra costs.
He appealed to the Japanese Shipowners’ Association to back efforts to reconsider the framework as currently proposed. Environmental rules, he argued, should promote verifiable cuts in emissions rather than focus solely on taxation.
Technology and fleet performance
Koch made his comments at the Tokyo American Club during the panel Optimizing Fleet Performance: Decarbonization, Technology & Asset Lifecycle.
ABS vice president Matthew Mueller moderated the discussion. Joining Koch were Demetris Chrysostomou, deputy CEO at Columbia Group; Torben Kölln, managing director at Leonhardt & Blumberg; and Hitesh Vyas, Wirana Shipping’s vice president for the Middle East and green recycling coordinator.
Alongside regulation, the participants explored how digitalisation, artificial intelligence, energy-saving technologies and management throughout a vessel’s lifecycle could improve fleet performance.
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