There is one thing that shipping can do right away in its quest to become greener, according to environmental juggernaut Greenpeace.

John Hocevar, Greenpeace USA’s ocean campaign director, said slowing down its vessels is a sure-fire way to burn less fuel and release significantly less CO2 into the atmosphere.

"With almost every issue in shipping, slowing down helps," he said during last week's TradeWinds Shipowners Forum New York.

"At the end of the day, it's really clear that slowing down addresses most of the environmental concerns around shipping. It also makes shipping safer."

Slow steaming may lead to more ships on the water to meet demand, but he said the tactic would still result in less CO2 emissions.

Greenpeace has three ships that run on fossil fuels to power diesel-electric engines, but he explained that its captains sail them at very slow speeds while trying to confront merchant vessels.

"We run them sometimes frustratingly slow to catch up to the bad guys," he said. "The captains insist we keep to nine knots so that we avoid burning so much fuel."

Come sail away

Greenpeace's vessel Rainbow Warrior III uses sails to help propel it through the water while consuming minimal fuel, he said.

"We do use those quite a bit," he said. "There's a lot to be said for what can happen with designing for efficiency."

TradeWinds reported last September that Bimco submitted a slow-steam proposal to the IMO.

Late last year, the IMO considered speed restrictions as a way to meet 2030 and 2050 greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals but decided against it.

A 20% reduction in ship speed — say, from 24 knots down to 19 — would lower CO2 emissions by 34% and black carbon output by 20%, according to environmental lobby group Transport & Environment.

Hocevar said slow steaming would also lower the number of incidents of sea life, such as whales and turtles, being struck by ships.

"The ocean just isn't a big, open highway for ships," he said. "It's a home for most of the world's creatures, and they're not equally distributed across time and water."

Transport & Environment said the practice would reduce the probability of a fatal whale strike by 34%.

Industry support

Ridgebury Tankers chief executive Robert Burke said shipowners have as much interest in preserving the oceans as Greenpeace.

"You said your ships chase the 'bad guys'," he said to Hocevar. "I think that's a bit disingenuous. We all have a vested interest in the ocean. A lot of us grew up on the ocean.

"It's just that we'd like the regulations to be consistent. Your idea about slowing down, I think you'd get a lot of support for that."