Svein Steimler, the president and chief executive of NYK Europe is right: the extra costs of the 2020 low-sulphur regulations should be borne by the customer.

The airline industry has happily applied separate fuel supplements to its ticket prices and the users accept this.

Svein Steimler, president and chief executive of NYK Europe Photo: NYK Europe

Shipping needs to do the same, not least because it will just potentially be the beginning of more costs associated with pollution.