Ahead of MEPC85, members of the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology (IMarEST) have identified delivery, infrastructure and value-chain coordination as the sector’s principal barriers to implementing the IMO 2023 Greenhouse Gas strategy, sources indicated on 9 November 2026.

The Institute’s Ship Energy and Environment Special Interest Group, known as SEESIG, assembled views from professionals working across ship management, classification societies and other parts of the maritime sector. The survey of opinion drew a clear preference for practical, system-level obstacles to be prioritised in forthcoming policymaking discussions.

IMarEST members singled out three issues as most obstructive:

  • Delivery.
  • Infrastructure.
  • Value-chain coordination.

Delivery and infrastructure

Delivery was cited as a central problem by the IMarEST membership. The term is presented by respondents as a barrier distinct from regulatory ambition, signalling concern over the sector’s capacity to turn policy into assets and measurable outcomes.

Infrastructure was named alongside delivery, reflecting questions about the scale and readiness of ports, bunkering, supply chains and related facilities needed to support lower‑emission fuels and technologies. Members framed infrastructure as an enabling requirement whose absence would blunt the effect of any regulatory advance.

Coordination across the value chain

Value-chain coordination emerged as the third priority. SEESIG contributors emphasised that a lack of alignment between owners, managers, operators, suppliers and regulators complicates the practical rollout of measures contemplated under the IMO strategy.

IMarEST’s reporting through SEESIG therefore presents a diagnosis that shifts attention away from headline targets and towards the operational and systemic bottlenecks that would determine whether those targets are reached in practice. Members’ responses suggest a focus on synchronising decisions across multiple stakeholders will be necessary if policy is to translate into fleet-level change.

The Institute’s findings were offered into the public record in the days leading up to MEPC85. The proximity of the committee meeting gives the observations a clear policy context, with practitioners signalling where they believe negotiators and administrations should concentrate effort.

The reports item of 9 November 2026 reported the survey’s broad thrust but did not publish detailed polling data or a complete list of respondents. SEESIG’s summary, as reported, therefore functions as a sectoral snapshot rather than a comprehensive empirical study.

Taken together, the IMarEST members’ assessment reframes the immediate challenge posed by the IMO 2023 Greenhouse Gas strategy: it is not only a matter of setting tougher goals but of ensuring the means to deliver, equipping the necessary infrastructure, and coordinating actors across the maritime value chain. The Institute’s contribution is likely to be referenced in discussions at MEPC85 as delegates consider how to move from strategy to implementation.

Sources published the report on 9 November 2026, relaying the conclusions from IMarEST’s SEESIG to an industry readership.