The AP Moller-Maersk chief executive Søren Skou has called for the eventual prohibition of new fossil fueled ships. “The European Commission is proposing to end production of combustion engine cars in 2035,” he said in a post on LinkedIn. “The IMO should do the same for fossil-fueled ships with ambitious targets and measures to decarbonize shipping.”

Maersk has committed to becoming a net-zero emitter by 2050 and has pledged that from 2023 all the vessels it orders will have the capability to run on zero emissions fuels.

Mr Skou has previously called on the IMO to implement a gradual global emissions levy that would ultimately increase to $450 per tonne of fuel oil to reduce the price gap between conventional and alternative fuel oils. The levy proposal made in early June was based at the oil prices of that time, which stood at just under $71 per barrel for Brent crude.

“A global ‘drop dead date’ would address future newbuilt vessels complementing the impact on existing ships from the carbon tax,” Mr Skou said in social media post. He said that a ban on new fossil-fueled ships and a carbon price would send a clear message to the entire industry of where things are going.

“As the price gap narrows, the IMO’s Energy Efficiency Design Index in its coming phases could be the instrument to make the end date for fossil-fueled ships a global reality.” The IMO’s EEDI mandates efficiency requirements for newbuilding vessels. The requirements become more stringent as time goes by with the introduction of new phases every few years.

The IMO has already adopted the third EEDI phase and has begun work to explore a fourth phase.