Ocean-going merchant ships are moving slower than ever.
Average speeds across the deep sea cargo fleet in the first quarter this year are at a new low, according to data from Clarksons Research.
As well as cutting speed to soak up capacity in a tough rates environment, owners have been slowing down to meet green goals and comply with regulations such as the Carbon Intensity Indicator.
“By far the most effective way to reduce ship climate impacts is to slow ships down. A 10% speed reduction can lower the emissions of an individual ship’s journey by almost 20%,” John Maggs from the Clean Shipping Coalition stated in an article for Splash last month.
“Vessel speeds have been on a long-term downwards trajectory, with speeds now down by ~20-30% since 2008 in most shipping sectors,” Clarksons pointed out in its most recent weekly report.
