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The International Chamber of Shipping is one of the world's principal
shipping Freight transport, also referred as ''Freight Forwarding'', is the physical process of transporting commodities and merchandise goods and cargo. The term shipping originally referred to transport by sea but in American English, it has been ...
organisations, representing around 80% of the world's merchant tonnage through membership by national
shipowner A ship-owner is the owner of a merchant vessel (commercial ship) and is involved in the shipping industry. In the commercial sense of the term, a shipowner is someone who equips and exploits a ship, usually for delivering cargo at a certain f ...
s' associations. It is concerned with maritime regulatory, operational and legal issues. Its membership includes over 40 national shipowner organisations. A major ICS activity is acting as a consultative body at the
United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoni ...
agency with responsibility for the safety of life at sea and the protection of the marine environment, the
International Maritime Organization The International Maritime Organization (IMO, French: ''Organisation maritime internationale'') is a specialised agency of the United Nations responsible for regulating shipping. The IMO was established following agreement at a UN conference ...
. ICS represents the global interests of all the different shipping trades in the industry, these include
bulk carrier A bulk carrier or bulker is a merchant ship specially designed to transport unpackaged bulk cargo — such as grains, coal, ore, steel coils, and cement — in its cargo holds. Since the first specialized bulk carrier was built in 1852, eco ...
operators, tanker operators,
passenger ship A passenger ship is a merchant ship whose primary function is to carry passengers on the sea. The category does not include cargo vessels which have accommodations for limited numbers of passengers, such as the ubiquitous twelve-passenger freig ...
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 World Customs Organization (WCO) is an intergovernmental organization headquartered in Brussels, Belgium. The WCO works on customs-related matters including the development of international conventions, instruments, and tools on topics su ...
, the
International Telecommunication Union The International Telecommunication Union is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for many matters related to information and communication technologies. It was established on 17 May 1865 as the International Telegraph Unio ...
, the
United Nations Conference on Trade and Development The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) is an intergovernmental organization within the United Nations Secretariat that promotes the interests of developing countries in world trade. It was established in 1964 by the ...
, and the
World Meteorological Organization The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for promoting international cooperation on atmospheric science, climatology, hydrology and geophysics. The WMO originated from the Inter ...
. The ICS also has close relationships with industry organisations representing different maritime interests such as shipping,
port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as H ...
s,
pilotage Piloting or pilotage is the process of navigating on water or in the air using fixed points of reference on the sea or on land, usually with reference to a nautical chart or aeronautical chart to obtain a fix of the position of the vessel or ai ...
, the oil industry, insurance and classification societies responsible for the surveying of ships.


History

ICS was established in 1921.


Location

In September 2021, the International Chamber of Shipping left office space near the Baltic Exchange in St Mary Axe and moved to Walsingham House near to
Tower Hill Tower Hill is the area surrounding the Tower of London in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is infamous for the public execution of high status prisoners from the late 14th to the mid 18th century. The execution site on the higher gro ...
.


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 The International Safety Management (ISM) Code is the International Maritime Organization The International Maritime Organization (IMO, French: ''Organisation maritime internationale'') is a specialised agency of the United Nations responsi ...
, in November 2019, together with
BIMCO BIMCO is one of the largest of the international shipping associations representing shipowners. BIMCO states that its membership represents approximately 60 percent of the world's merchant shipping tonnage and that it has members in more than 130 c ...
and the
Witherby Publishing Group Witherby Publishing Group, formerly known as Witherby Seamanship, is a technical publisher of maritime, nautical and navigation training, reference and regulatory materials. The company is the resulting merger of Witherby Books and Seamans ...
, ICS published the Cyber Security Workbook for Onboard Ship Use. The second edition of the nautical workbook was published in 2021. 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 The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
. In 2021, ICS produced guidance on Maritime security with a publication entitled ''Maritime Security - A comprehensive Guide for Shipowners, Seafarers and Administrations''. In August 2022, in partnership with Witherbys and BIMCO, ICS issued a guidance title for the shipping industry on
biofouling Biofouling or biological fouling is the accumulation of microorganisms, plants, algae, or small animals where it is not wanted on surfaces such as ship and submarine hulls, devices such as water inlets, pipework, grates, ponds, and rivers tha ...
entitled ''Biofouling, Biosecurity and Hull Cleaning''.


See also

* European Community Shipowners' Associations (Brussels) *
International Maritime Organization The International Maritime Organization (IMO, French: ''Organisation maritime internationale'') is a specialised agency of the United Nations responsible for regulating shipping. The IMO was established following agreement at a UN conference ...
(London; a UN organization)


References


External links


ICS Home page
{{Authority control International organisations based in London Organisations based in the City of London Shipping trade associations