Japan, which boasts the world’s third largest merchant fleet, has had a volte-face in terms of its green shipping targets.

The Asian nation has often been castigated for its timid shipping environmental pledges at the IMO. However, it has emerged today that the Japanese delegation to the IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) gathering next month will back calls for shipping to become a net zero industry by 2050, far stricter targets than the current IMO stance which demands shipping slash its emissions by at least 50% compared to 2008 levels over the next 29 years.

The US was the first major shipping nation to make a net zero call this April, something which has since been backed up by other countries including the UK.

In other noticeable government green pledges, just ahead of COP26, the major international climate summit, Australia, a major fuel exporter, has come out with its own net zero commitments by 2050.