By: Andrew B Weah
IPNEWS: The Government of Liberia has categorically denied reports suggesting that it intends to impose a carbon levy on international shipping beginning March 1, 2026, clarifying that no such policy exists or is being contemplated.
In a press statement issued Tuesday, the government responded to recent online publications by TradeWinds and Oracle News Daily, which alleged that Liberia was preparing to levy carbon charges on international vessels calling at its seaports. Authorities described the reports as inaccurate and misleading.
“The Government of Liberia does not, and will not, impose a carbon levy on international ships calling at Liberian seaports,” the statement emphasized.
Liberia reaffirmed its commitment to established international legal frameworks governing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from shipping, noting that the regulation of international maritime emissions falls exclusively under the mandate of the International Maritime Organization (IMO). The government stressed that international shipping operates across borders, making unilateral national measures inappropriate and potentially disruptive.
According to the statement, any attempt by individual countries to impose market-based mechanisms or emission regulations outside the IMO framework could undermine regulatory certainty, fragment global maritime governance, and negatively impact international trade.
The government further underscored its continued engagement with the IMO and other member states to support the development of globally agreed technical, operational, and market-based measures that are uniform, fair, and equitable, while taking into account the developmental realities of countries.
While Liberia has established a National Carbon Market Authority to coordinate participation in carbon markets and climate finance mechanisms under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Paris Agreement, the government clarified that international shipping emissions are excluded from national emissions inventories. As such, they are not subject to national carbon trading systems or levies.
The statement concluded that the regulation of emissions from ships—including any future carbon pricing or contribution mechanisms—remains the responsibility of the Liberia Maritime Authority, acting in line with relevant IMO instruments.
