MAJOR shipping lines including Hapag-Lloyd and the maritime arm of Louis Dreyfus Co are calling on the UN's International Maritime Organisation (IMO) to avoid backing crop-based biofuels as the industry pushes to decarbonise, reports Bloomberg.

"Unless legally binding safeguards are introduced, there is a risk that a large amount of fossil fuels will be replaced with unsustainable biofuels," said the companies through the European Federation for Transport and Environment, an NGO.

The NGO known as T&E has campaigned against deforestation and improper land use. It says burning palm and soy are two to three times worse for the climate than traditional fuels, according to T&E.

Most palm oil is grown in vast estates in Southeast Asia, with Indonesia and Malaysia the largest producers. The commodity has long been blamed for destroying fragile habitats including carbon-rich peatlands, reducing biodiversity, and endangering rare animals, claims that producers and governments in the region have rejected.

The intervention by the shipping majors comes as delegates are scheduled to congregate in London for an IMO event to debate new regulatory measures to reduce the sector's carbon footprint.