What is MEPC 84? — IMO Marine Environment Protection Committee, 27 April – 1 May 2026

Definition: What is MEPC 84?

The Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) is the IMO body responsible for environmental regulation of international shipping. Its 84th session (MEPC 84) is scheduled for 27 April to 1 May 2026 at IMO Headquarters in London. MEPC 84 is the first formal engagement since the October 2025 decision to postpone adoption of the IMO Net-Zero Framework by one year, so expectations are high that the session will lock in implementation guidelines even if the binding regulation itself waits until MEPC 85.

Why MEPC 84 matters in 2026

MEPC 84 sits at the intersection of three live workstreams that affect every international voyage:

• IMO Net-Zero Framework — implementation guidelines, fuel lifecycle rules (Well-to-Wake), compliance and reward mechanisms for 2027–2030.
• Short-term GHG measures (EEXI, SEEMP, CII) — Phase 2 review of the 2021 measures already in force.
• Follow-up to the 1 January 2026 PFOS prohibition (SOLAS Chapter II-2, IMO resolution MSC.532(107)).

For the broader Net-Zero Framework context, see What is the IMO Net-Zero Framework?

The MEPC 84 agenda — 9 expected themes

1. Net-Zero Framework implementation guidelines — IMO Fuel Standard, GHG Fuel Intensity (GFI), compliance units, reward mechanisms.
2. LCA methodology for marine fuels — Well-to-Wake intensity values, default factors and sustainability criteria.
3. CII review Phase 2 — scope, rating bands and reduction factors beyond 2026.
4. Onboard Carbon Capture and Storage (OCCS) — draft survey, certification and approval guidelines.
5. PFOS prohibition follow-up — ICIHM annex updates, disposal arrangements, port waste reception.
6. Ballast Water Management — experience-building phase outcomes and evolution of BWM Convention D-1/D-2.
7. Air pollution (MARPOL Annex VI) — review of sulphur regulation and NOx Tier III.
8. Marine plastic litter — action-plan progress and reporting scope.
9. Biofouling & underwater radiated noise — revised guidelines adoption.

What shipowners should prepare

Three pragmatic preparations:

1. Lifecycle-ready fuel data. Start collecting Well-to-Wake intensity factors per bunker lift now — our VS Life Cycle Assessment platform produces the ISO 14040/14044 values that will feed the FuelEU balance and the upcoming IMO Fuel Standard.
2. CII Phase 2 scenarios. Use the FuelEU Balance Calculator plus an internal CII model to run the deeper reduction factors that MEPC 84 may prescribe.
3. PFOS evidence pack. Make sure every ship’s first survey on or after 1 January 2026 includes documentary evidence of PFOS-free foam and a safe-disposal record. See What is the SOLAS II-2 PFOS amendment?

Likely outcomes vs not-this-time outcomes

Likely at MEPC 84: interim LCA default factors, Phase 2 CII reduction bands, OCCS draft guidelines, PFOS disposal clarifications, BWM experience-building consolidation.

Less likely: formal adoption of the binding Net-Zero Framework regulation (expected at MEPC 85 in October 2026 after intersessional Working Group work); new SECA designations; any binding decision on shipping’s inclusion in a global carbon-pricing mechanism beyond the IMO Fuel Standard.

How this feeds EU regulations

IMO outcomes increasingly shape the EU regulatory stack — and vice versa. MEPC 84’s LCA methodology will feed the FuelEU Maritime compliance balance (Regulation 2023/1805), while the Omnibus I simplification (Directive 2026/470) continues to reshape CSRD reporting. Varuna Sentinels tracks both tracks daily in the Marine News & IHM Updates page.