Stepping in through the quietly revolving doors of the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) central London headquarters is to enter a world that seems divorced from the chaotic city outside. Only the sounds of heels on the polished stone floors and a few hushed conversations puncture the calm of the spacious entrance hall.

It is a tranquillity that speaks of the diplomatic manoeuvring and detailed technical deliberations that are the hallmark of the UN body that shapes the rules that govern the safety and environmental standards of world shipping.

But