Exhaust emissions from shipping originating from combustion of marine fuels contribute significantly to the anthropogenic burden of air pollutants which have negative effects on human health and ecosystems, including increased human mortality and morbidity, and acidification and eutrophication of freshwaters and marine waters. There is also a rising awareness of the negative impact from shipping on the marine environment. To summarize, the impact of shipping on induced seawater pollution is challenging as the stressors (nutrients, hazardous substances, particulate contaminants, acidifying substances, and invasive species) come from many different activities related to shipping, and act differently, and it is difficult to find a common denominator to assess the total impact. It is recognized that anthropogenic noise might also have adverse effects on the marine environment. The ambition to reduce the negative environmental impacts of international shipping is an overarching objective of international and macro-regional conventions, directives, and national legislation.

Recognition of the topic’s importance has resulted in growing research momentum on the environmental consequences of shipping. An international conference, "Shipping and the Environment – From Regional to Global Perspectives" (http://shipping-and-the-environment-2017.ivl.se), which took place in Gothenburg, Sweden, 23–24 October, was a joint activity of the BONUS SHEBA (Shipping and the environment of the Baltic Sea Region) and SOLAS international projects. The large interest in the conference (118 participants from 15 countries) showed that an initiative covering a wide range of natural and social sciences involved in assessment of impacts of shipping has been very timely. As a follow-up of the conference, this proposed special issue aims to address a wide range of impacts of shipping on air pollution, seawater pollution, underwater noise and climate, environmental impacts of these pressures, as well as the socio-economic consequences of these. It would be open not only to papers presented at the conference, but also to others addressing the topic.

To illustrate the range of topics to be covered by the special issue and the need for a joint issue between ACP and OS, the topics covered at the conference included experimental characterization of emissions to air and water and of underwater noise from shipping, emission inventories including the scenario emissions and impact of legislation, economic instruments and technological development on these, air quality and oceanic modelling of fates and effects of pollutants from shipping, assessment of impacts of emissions on human health, land, and marine ecosystems, and assessment of socioeconomic consequences of the environmental impacts and abatement measures.