A report from consultants CE Delft points to the possibility of the shipping sector curtailing its emissions by up to 47% by 2030, according to Ship & Bunker.
Using its CE-Ship model, the Dutch firm has said that it "has modelled the maximally technically achievable reduction potential for the sector".
"We find that the emissions of international shipping can be reduced by 28-47% by 2030, relative to 2008," according to CE Delft.
The calculation rests a number of assumptions including 5-10% use of zero-GHG fuels, reducing speed by 20-30% and the most use of wind- assisted technology.
"About half of the emission reductions result from lower speeds and other operational measures, a quarter from wind-assisted propulsion and other technical measures and another quarter from using zero and near-zero GHG fuels," the firm said.