Governments and industry were in agreement for once at the International Maritime Organization (IMO) this week as they attempted to draw up a plan to bring shipping’s growing greenhouse gas emissions under control.

It was a rare packed house at the IMO’s Lambeth Bridge headquarters in London, and dozing delegates few and far between, as member state representatives and non-government organisations (NGOs) gathered after lunch on Tuesday to give their views on how the United Nation (UN) body should progress.

Many