You are using an outdated browser For a better experience using this site, please upgrade to a modern web browser. Subscribe Get Daily Email Subscribe --> Contact Us Sign in Home News & Features Compliance Costs Bunker Prices Bunker Intelligence Asia/Pacific News Latest Features World Americas EMEA Asia/Pacific Home News & Features Asia / Pacific Japan Proposes Less Stringent GFI Targets for Shipping Japan Proposes Less Stringent GFI Targets for Shipping by Ship & Bunker News Team Monday August 10, 2026 Tweet Follow @shipandbunker The proposal comes ahead of IMO technical talks on NZF next month. File Image / Pixabay Japan says GFI targets should reflect the pace of fleet replacement. New marine fuels are estimated to account for 5.8% of total fuel use in 2030. Japan has proposed a less stringent path for greenhouse gas fuel intensity (GFI) under the proposed IMO Net-Zero Framework (NZF) , saying the approach could address concerns about the impact of the targets on international shipping. In a submission to the IMO ahead of further discussions in September , Japan said its revised draft amendments are intended to provide a basis for reaching a compromise among member states. The proposal includes changes to the annual GFI reduction factors as well as the framework's compliance arrangements. Under the proposed NZF, ships would have to meet two GFI levels: a base target and a more stringent direct compliance target. Japan retains the two-tier approach but proposes lower reduction factors for both. For the base target, Japan proposes a 7% reduction in 2030 , increasing to 21.9% in 2035 . Its proposed direct compliance target rises from a 21% reduction in 2030 to 43% in 2035 . Using the document’s 2008 reference GFI of 93.3 gCO2e/MJ , those reductions translate to about 86.8 gCO2e/MJ in 2030 and 72.9 gCO2e/MJ in 2035 . This compared to 85.8 gCO2e/MJ proposed in NZF for 2030 and 65.3 gCO2e/MJ in 2035 . “ Some Member States expressed concerns about rapid