Controversy has dogged the shipping sector's response to the climate crisis for decades. The industry may only account for three per cent of global emissions, but it is routinely accused of lagging other sectors in its decarbonisation efforts and as susch is projected to generating over a tenth of worldwide emissions by 2050. Rules governing the industry are set by the UN's International Maritime Organisation (IMO), which in 2018 agreed a target to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 50 per cent by 2050. But progress towards that goal has since been slow, with measures seen as being among the most effective mechanisms for curbing emissions in the short-term - such as mandating speed reduction or imposing tighter emissions limits - repeatedly kicked into the long grass.