"Some people are sceptical [of sails] from a technical point of view and they feel very strongly that you shouldn't alter their ships. Others don't want to take all the risk."

The industry faces growing pressure from regulators as well as customers such as Amazon, Unilever and Ikea, who have pledged to use only zero-emission ships by 2040.

Mr Dieleman said some shipowners were too sceptical of proposals to propel large cargo vessels using wind, adding that wind power was "underestimated".

Cargill has had a previous foray into wind ship propulsion. In 2011, it announced an agreement to install a giant sail on the Aghia Marina cargo ship, in partnership with German company SkySails. In a 2015 update, Cargill said its project with SkySails had "encountered obstacles".

Maersk, the world's second-largest container shipping company, previously sold a vessel after analysis found that installing sails on the ship had only led to an eight per cent drop in fuel consumption in a year.

Dieleman's comments come amid a fractious debate between countries over how to decarbonise the international shipping industry, which carries up to 90 per cent of global trade but remains almost entirely dependent on fossil fuels.

Shipping groups investing in decarbonisation, however, are divided on the best solutions. Companies are betting on a range of fuels including methanol and ammonia, as well as giant kites that can use wind to propel ships, despite concerns over whether alternative fuels will be affordable or available at scale.

Low-carbon fuels such as green methanol or ammonia cost up to four times as much as fossil fuels, meaning wind power could be used alongside green fuels to save money if it proves successful.