http://www.imo.org/en/MediaCentre/HotTopics/Pages/Sulphur-20...
http://www.imo.org/en/MediaCentre/HotTopics/Pages/Sulphur-20...
In my research I also discovered cargo ships are responsible for other forms of pollution nobody talks about. One of them is what's called "species pollution". As they fill and empty their ballast tanks they suck in, transport and expel wild life from one location to another. In this fashion invasive species damage ecosystems not prepared to receive them.
https://www.seos-project.eu/marinepollution/marinepollution-...
That said, CO2 from container ships represents somewhere in the order of 3% of total world-wide emissions. For reference, this is greater than the CO2 output of all of Germany.
As you said, too few people are having conversations about the realities of these matters. The issue has been politicized to a ridiculous level on both sides of the spectrum and we are wasting time focusing on nonsense.