Shipping’s use of exhaust gas scrubbers to cut emissions could be banned for breaching human rights legislation if green lobby groups get their way.

Led by Friends of the Earth International, the lobby argues that the discharge of toxins into the air and sea may contravene the rights of coastal communities.

The groups that inform the International Maritime Organization have had a long-running battle with the industry over scrubbers, which they believe should not be considered equivalent to using less polluting low-sulphur fuel.