Depending on the agreement between the parties, businesses may be required to provide or receive data related to the shipment's emissions, agree on a method for determining emissions, and establish a mechanism for allocating costs incurred when ships or shipping routes must meet carbon requirements. These issues, previously considered primarily technical environmental matters, are now directly impacting logistics costs and the criteria for selecting shipping lines and transport partners.
With a high degree of trade integration and a heavy reliance on maritime transport, emission reduction requirements are becoming an increasingly important variable in the import and export activities of Vietnamese businesses, posing new management demands for costs and supply chains.
When a transport contract includes an emissions clause.
Emissions clauses in a transport contract or charter party are agreements that predetermine how the shipowner and charterer will comply with emissions requirements, as well as the mechanism for allocating related costs.
Compared to traditional contracts, which focus on freight rates, schedules, and responsibilities for goods, this set of clauses adds provisions on emission intensity targets, obligations to provide and share data, and how costs arising from carbon pricing mechanisms or emission reduction requirements are allocated.
The increasing appearance of these provisions is linked to the fact that regulations on emission reduction in maritime transport are being implemented at the international and regional levels. Notably, the initiatives of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the United Nations' specialized agency on maritime transport, are noteworthy. At the MEPC 83 session in April 2025, IMO member states reached a consensus on some core contents of the Net-Zero Framework (IMO Net-Zero Framework). This framework is built on two main pillars: maritime fuel standards to gradually reduce the intensity of greenhouse gas emissions and an emission pricing mechanism for emissions exceeding the prescribed threshold[1].
However, it is necessary to distinguish between the policy framework currently under development and regulations already in effect. The IMO Net-Zero Framework is not yet a legally binding international regulation. Following strong opposition from several countries at the extraordinary MEPC/ES.2 session in October 2025, the IMO decided to postpone its formal adoption for another year. At MEPC 84 in late April – early May 2026, the IMO reiterated the Net-Zero Framework as the basis for further negotiations and plans to make a decision in December 2026, within the framework of MEPC 85.