The Government of Liberia on Wednesday clarified it will not impose a carbon levy on international ships calling at Liberian ports, rejecting recent reports that a charge would take effect on March 1.
Responding to TadeWinds and Oracle News Daily publications regarding the country’s Carbon Market Authority’s planned national carbon levy for international shipping, the government said, “Liberia does not, and will not, impose a carbon levy on international ships calling at Liberian seaports.”
The government reiterated its support for the International Maritime Organization (IMO) as the proper forum to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from ships, arguing that shipping is a global, transboundary activity and that unilateral national measures risk undermining regulatory certainty, fragmenting maritime governance, and disrupting trade.
The statement comes after Liberia’s recently established Carbon Market Authority (CMA) earlier indicated it would introduce carbon fees in March.
The government clarified that while the CMA coordinates Liberia’s participation in carbon markets under the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement, emissions from international shipping are not included in national inventories and are not subject to national carbon trading systems or levies.
Regulation of ship emissions, including any future pricing or contribution mechanisms, remains under the mandate of the Liberia Maritime Authority and relevant IMO instruments, the government said.
The IMO is currently holding conversations on measures to address shipping emissions, with Liberia signaling its backing for multilateral, IMO-led solutions, the statement added.
