Portsmouth-based
BAR Technologies is calling for urgent global alignment on carbon regulation, warning that the rapid expansion of regional emissions‑trading schemes is placing unprecedented compliance pressures on the maritime sector and could undermine progress toward decarbonisation. The company says shipowners now face a growing patchwork of overlapping rules, with measures such as the EU ETS, FuelEU Maritime, the IMO’s delayed Net‑Zero Framework and proposed Greenhouse Gas Fuel Intensity (GFI) requirements creating a complex and often conflicting regulatory landscape.
According to the International Carbon Action Partnership, more than 30 emissions‑trading systems are now active or under development worldwide. Research from the
Grantham Research Institute at the London School of Economics has identified over 900 climate‑adaptation laws and policies adopted across 35 countries since the Paris Agreement, illustrating the rapid rise in climate legislation but also the mounting risks associated with uncoordinated policymaking, increased compliance costs and cross‑border friction.
John Cooper, CEO of BAR Technologies, said: “Carbon compliance is becoming more fragmented by the month. Instead of building momentum behind a single global framework, we are creating a patchwork of schemes with different baselines, rules and cost mechanisms. That creates confusion, inflates costs, and weakens the industry’s ability to invest in real, scalable solutions.”
The introduction of mechanisms such as the EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), which came into effect on 1 January 2026, adds further complexity. Although shipping emissions are not directly taxed under CBAM, the system imposes carbon costs on the embedded emissions of materials including steel, aluminium, cement and fertilisers — all major seaborne cargoes — effectively drawing maritime trade into the broader carbon‑pricing system.
Commercial uncertainty on a global scaleMr Cooper said: “CBAM is an example of how carbon pricing is now embedded into trade. But it is also a reminder that without multi-lateral alignment, we risk policy friction and commercial uncertainty on a global scale.”
BAR Technologies argues that the maritime industry cannot afford continued regulatory divergence and is calling for a unified, transparent and internationally administered carbon framework. The company continues to support the principle of a bunker‑level carbon‑levy mechanism, which it says would reduce administrative duplication and channel funds into climate‑positive reinvestment. Mr Cooper continued: “While we await consensus on a unified framework, we cannot afford inaction. We need technologies that work today, across regulatory zones and wind propulsion is leading that charge.”
The company’s WindWings system, already installed on several vessels, is delivering measurable fuel‑consumption and emissions reductions. BAR Technologies notes that wind‑assisted propulsion has the added benefit of lowering the fuel demand of future alternative fuels such as methanol and ammonia, improving their commercial feasibility. Lauren Eatwell, head of WindWings at BAR Technologies, said: “Wind doesn’t need permission. It is scalable, proven, and will be around forever. The industry has an opportunity to act now and lead, not wait to be regulated into action.”
With the number of regional carbon schemes continuing to grow, BAR Technologies is encouraging shipowners and operators to prioritise deployable, fuel‑agnostic technologies that deliver immediate emissions reductions while supporting the transition toward a more coherent global regulatory framework.