International Chamber of Shipping


The International Chamber of Shipping is the world's principal shipping organisation, representing around 80% of the world’s merchant tonnage, through membership by national shipowners' associations. It is concerned with all regulatory, operational and legal issues. A major ICS activity is as a consultative body at the United Nations agency with responsibility for the safety of life at sea and the protection of the marine environment, the International Maritime Organization.
ICS is unique in that unlike other international shipping trade associations it represents the global interests of all the different trades in the industry: bulk carrier operators, tanker operators, passenger ship operators and container liner trades, including shipowners and third party ship managers.
ICS has consultative status with a number of other intergovernmental bodies which affect shipping, these include: the World Customs Organization, the International Telecommunications Union, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, and the World Meteorological Organization. The ICS also has close relationships with industry organisations representing different maritime interests such as shipping, ports, pilotage, the oil industry, insurance and classification societies responsible for the surveying of ships.
The UK Chamber of Shipping is a primary member of the ICS.

Location

In October 2011, the International Chamber of Shipping left office space on Carthusian Street, near the Barbican Estate, then owned by the UK Chamber of Shipping and moved to the Baltic Exchange in St Mary Axe.

Publications

The ICS is also responsible for several publications in use in the marine industry, in conjunction with Witherbys. In June 2020, ICS made its maritime publications available as e-books for the first time.
In response to IMO efforts to require cyber security to be addressed under the International Safety Management Code, in November 2019, together with BIMCO and the Witherby Publishing Group, ICS published the Cyber Security Workbook for Onboard Ship Use.
In May 2020, ICS issued updated health guidance for the global shipping industry to ensure ship operators and crew can safely deal with seafarers struggling with medical conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic.