While diesel engines remain the norm in shipping, competitors like LNG are becoming both more feasible and more available. Part of the reason is the rapid expansion of Sulfur Emission Control Areas (SECAs) across North America and Europe. So the critical question becomes: Does "green" propulsion allow the merging of economic efficiency with environmental benefits, or is it just another compliance cost for the shipping trade?

Recent discussions in the maritime sector suggest the possibility of constructing container ships of 26,000 TEU.

Danish shipping and oil group A.P. Moller-Maersk could be split up into separate companies, its chairman said on Thursday after naming Soren Skou, the head of its container business, as chief executive.

The dry bulk shipping industry may not emerge from a protracted downturn for another two years and some smaller firms will be squeezed out, the chairman of France's Louis Dreyfus Armateurs.

Shipping companies transporting coal, iron ore and other commodities are urgently seeking ways to conserve cash and withstand the worst market downturn on record as too many ships chase shrinking business.