Picking up steam. (Maritime).

Shipping companies are making significant headway on the security front but most are delaying the completion of plans until more stringent regulations are unveiled in the United States next month, according to a new study.

Consulting firm Deloitte & Touche LLP and Marine Money magazine conducted telephone surveys of 43 CEOs and CFOs of international shipping companies. The survey showed that almost two-thirds of shipping companies still are working on their security plans. Less than half of the companies polled have a designated executive with overall responsibility for security. Only one-third actually have adopted a security plan, while 21 percent indicated that …