The evening event for May 2025 was concluded, where:
Dr. John Kokarakis, Technical Director, SEEBA Zone, Bureau Veritas and Member of the French Delegation at the IMO
made a presentation on the topic of:
“Adjournment and Uncertainty: The MEPC 84 ES Outcome and the Deferred IMO Net-Zero Framework”
Presentation Summary:
In October 2025, the IMO’s MEPC held an extraordinary session (MEPC/ES.2) to consider formal adoption of the NZF, a flagship instrument designed to regulate greenhouse-gas emissions from international shipping by amendments to MARPOL Annex VI. Although the NZF had been approved in principle at MEPC 83 in April 2025, the session ended without formal adoption; rather, a motion to adjourn the matter for one year was passed, delaying the regulatory milestone. This talk examines the political, procedural and technical drivers behind the outcome, including shifting positions of key Member States, procedural controversies over tacit versus explicit acceptance, and industry concerns over fuel availability, carbon-pricing mechanisms and compliance pathways. It assesses the implications of the delay for the shipping industry, flag and port States, fuel suppliers and financiers, with particular attention to how the postponement affects timelines, certainty and investment decisions. Finally, the speaker explores prospects for the resumed session in 2026 (and MEPC 84’s role in managing the interim), and outlines recommended strategies for shipowners, classification societies and regulators to navigate the current period of regulatory uncertainty while maintaining momentum toward decarbonisation.
About the speaker:
Dr Kokarakis a 1979 graduate of National Technical University of Athens, holds PhD (1986) and Masters degrees in Naval Architecture (1983) and Mechanical Engineering (1984) from the University of Michigan.
He worked for over ten years as a consultant undertaking technical problems worldwide. His specialization was in the area of technical investigation of marine accidents. In his capacity as a forensic engineer he participated in the technical investigation of the Exxon Valdez grounding, the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster, the drillship Sea-Crest capsize, the Piper Alpha fire and explosion, the Aleutian Enterprise foundering in Alaska as well as many other accidents of less notoriety.
The last twenty years he works in Greece, in the area of classification. He is today the Technical Director of Bureau Veritas in the Hellenic and Black Sea & Zone, responsible for the smooth technical operation in the Zone as well as in the harmonic cooperation with the BV offices worldwide to the benefit of the BV clients.
He is a member of SNAME since 1976 and a Fellow of the Society. He served in various capacities, being currently the Chairman of the Greek Section since 2014.
The presentation can be found (for SNAME members only) below: