Critical to China’s role as the world’s workshop is its ability to move hundreds of millions of containers full of goods from the factory floor to the market.

Recently there have been a some reports that have tied trade to emission growth, and firms like Agility Logistics and Maersk have been working closely with their clients to measure the carbon footprint of their transport related activities as well as take action to reduce these emissions.

So, it is with this in mind, that the DK Group’s new ship design (h/t Cleantechnica) could be entering the market at a fortuitous time:

This past September, the company let loose a 272 foot long cargo vessel in Norway’s Oslo Fjord. 25 feet below the ship’s surface, recesses built into the underside of the vessel’s hull created drag-reducing pockets.

The result is a reduction in drag of 7% – which means lower fuel and carbon emissions

Reductions that could add up to significant gains:

the world’s merchant fleet—50,000 ships that transport 90 percent of global trade goods—emit 800 million tons of carbon dioxide annually (about 5 percent of the planet’s total), according to the International Maritime Organization. Anything that can green up the operating efficiencies of new shipping by double-digit percentages would be a notable contribution.