The Government of Liberia has moved to clarify reports suggesting that it plans to impose a carbon levy on international shipping beginning March 1, 2026, stating unequivocally that no such measure is being introduced.
In a statement responding to recent online publications by TradeWinds and Oracle News Daily, the government said Liberia does not, and will not, impose a carbon levy on international ships calling at Liberian seaports. Authorities stressed that the reports were inaccurate and risked creating confusion within the global maritime sector.
Liberia reaffirmed its support for established international legal frameworks governing greenhouse gas emissions from shipping, emphasizing the central role of the International Maritime Organization (IMO). The government noted that international shipping operates across borders and outside national jurisdictions, making global regulation both complex and necessary.
According to the statement, the regulation of greenhouse gas emissions from international shipping has, by long-standing international consensus, been entrusted exclusively to the IMO. Liberia warned that unilateral national measures, including carbon levies or market-based mechanisms imposed outside the IMO framework, could undermine regulatory certainty, fragment global maritime governance, and disrupt international trade flows.
The government said it remains committed to working with the IMO and other member states to support the development of globally agreed technical, operational, and market-based measures that are uniform, just, and equitable, while taking into account the developmental realities of different countries.
While ruling out any carbon levy on international shipping, Liberia confirmed that it has established a national Carbon Market Authority. The body is tasked with coordinating the country’s participation in carbon markets and climate finance mechanisms under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement, in line with Liberia’s nationally determined contributions.
However, the government clarified that international shipping emissions are not included in national emissions inventories and are not subject to domestic carbon trading systems or levies. Regulation of emissions from ships, including any future carbon pricing or contribution mechanisms, remains under the mandate of the Liberia Maritime Authority through relevant IMO instruments.
The government said its position reflects Liberia’s continued commitment to multilateralism, legal certainty, and the smooth functioning of global trade, while supporting international efforts to address climate change through agreed global mechanisms.
