Speed controls on shipping could save billions in lower ship fuel bills, cut air pollution and enable the shipping industry to play a full part in tackling climate change, according to a new report.

The polar waters of the Arctic and Antarctic are in jeopardy as a result of substantial delays to the development of environmental protection rules which will reduce the impact of shipping on these delicate regions.

The Clean Shipping Coalition welcomes the adoption by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) of an Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) regulation for new ships, but warns that it’s only the first step in what needs to be a far more expansive effort to address shipping’s climate impacts.

The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) failed to reach agreement on global action to address greenhouse gas emissions from international shipping at a meeting in London last week.

The first global agreement to cut carbon emissions from ships has been blocked by several developing countries.

Environmental NGOs have welcomed last Thursday’s decision by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) to require substantial reductions in the sulphur content of marine fuel from 2020.