Plans to cut the greenhouse gas emissions from the world’s shipping fleet will be discussed in London this week as the industry comes under renewed pressure to clean up its act.

Delegates to the International Maritime Organisation, a UN agency that regulates shipping, will study proposals from countries including France and Japan that would have a significant impact on global trade flows over the next decade.

The IMO last year set a target of cutting emissions by at least 50 per cent by 2050, and to begin to reverse rises in emissions as soon as possible. Shipping is a highly polluting industrial sector that has proved difficult to decarbonise. The world’s ships contribute 2-3 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions, burn dirty heavy fuel oil and belch out a cocktail of toxic pollutants.