If the modicum of success claimed by the recent G20 summit proves anything, it is that big problems are rarely solved by simple solutions. Even the presence of an overwhelming and unifying problem is generally unable to ensure the required levels of cooperation and collaboration.

Global warming and the banking crisis will not be solved during the plenary session of a single meeting, no matter how many world leaders you manage to squeeze into a room. But small successes are not unthinkable. Indeed, they are essential.

This week’s meeting of the International Maritime Organization’s Flag State Implementation sub-committee will not feature on your nightly news programme. It is unlikely to spark any great international controversy or become the target for hordes of protesters.

What it will do is address the defiantly unsexy topic of government responsibilities and measures to encourage flag state compliance.

Each of the IMO conventions already agreed by its 168 member states represents a minor miracle of international diplomacy. To not see these fully ratified and enforced is a waste of the considerable efforts put into these very necessary rules and regulations. It also exposes the gap between political aspirations and reality.

Finding an international consensus to solve all the ills of the shipping industry is an impossibility, but ensuring that the precious few agreements we can secure are translated into action is everyone’s responsibility.