Life lessons are often learned best from making mistakes, to understand what went wrong and to get it right the next time. It is how children learn to walk. They copy what they have seen, fall over, try again, fall over, and try again until they get it right.

The question is: Can the shipping industry learn from its mistakes?

The blunt answer on the use of heavy fuel oil (HFO) in Arctic waters being discussed this week at the International Maritime Organization appears to be no on the evidence of its action on carbon emissions — unless there is a collective decision to revisit childhood.