The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) marked a busy June with a change of leadership, the launch of several major industry reports and renewed calls for action on seafarer welfare and maritime security.

The month centred on the ICS Annual General Meeting and its Rome summit, held in the Italian capital.

During the annual general meeting on June 22, the ICS board unanimously elected John Denholm CBE as the organisation’s new chairman. He succeeds Emanuele Grimaldi, who completed four years in the role after leading ICS through a period of global volatility and uncertainty.

The following day, ICS launched its Maritime Barometer, a data-led study based on survey responses from C-suite decision-makers across the shipping industry. Nearly 53 per cent of respondents were shipowners, while 39 per cent were ship managers.

The report found that shipping is continuing to adapt to a more complex operating environment, shaped by geopolitical instability, regulatory uncertainty and economic volatility. It also sought to provide a broader picture of how the sector is evolving as it continues to support world trade.

However, the Barometer was only one of several reports published during the month. At the start of June, ICS Technical Director Chris Waddington worked with Lloyd’s Register on the release of the On Board Carbon Capture and Storage Review Report.

The review followed an ICS webinar in May and examined the technical feasibility of onboard carbon capture and storage. It also found that wider commercial uptake will depend on progress in three key areas: ship integration, carbon disposal infrastructure, and regulatory and accounting certainty.

ICS also commissioned a separate report for the European Shipowners | ECSA, assessing ship recycling standards. The study examined the gaps between the Hong Kong Convention and the EU Ship Recycling Regulation, looking at the legal texts of both frameworks, as well as relevant IMO and EU guidelines. It also set out recommendations aimed at narrowing the differences between the two regimes.

Seafarers were another major focus for ICS in June. Together with BIMCO, the chamber launched the workforce report on the Day of the Seafarer, marked on June 25.

Published every five years, the report provides a detailed overview of the supply and demand balance for STCW-certified seafarers. It estimated that 2.57 million seafarers currently serve the global fleet, operating 85,148 merchant ships worldwide.

Since the previous report in 2021, demand for STCW-certified seafarers has increased by 35 per cent, driven by the expansion of the global merchant fleet and the sector’s recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.

On the same day, ICS issued a policy statement setting out ten key focus areas for decision-makers, aimed at recognising seafarers as essential to global socio-economic stability. The statement also coincided with the 20th anniversary of the Maritime Labour Convention.

The chamber said the policy priorities were divided into two categories. The first focused on measures that continue to support the seafarer employment landscape, while the second identified areas where further action is needed through closer cooperation between industry, unions, governments and intergovernmental organisations.

Maritime security also remained high on the agenda. ICS issued a statement responding to the Oman Notice to Mariners and the International Maritime Organisation’s evacuation plan, stressing that the priority remains the safe evacuation of the 11,000 seafarers stranded in the region since the end of February.

ICS said the IMO plan was a welcome step towards improving coordination and restoring freedom of navigation, but added that it must work alongside existing mechanisms rather than conflict with them.

Beyond its Rome summit and publications, ICS also took part in a series of industry events. On June 5, it hosted a webinar on maritime applications for batteries, discussing the current state of battery-electric propulsion in shipping.

The panel included representatives from Rauma Marine Constructions, The Faraday Institution, ICS and Wightlink, with the discussion focusing on how battery technology is developing within the maritime sector.

ICS officials also attended Posidonia at the start of the month. ICS Secretary General Thomas Kazakos addressed the Xinde Marine Forum under the theme ‘Co-opetition & Symbiosis: The Long-Termism of Shipping’.

At the same event, ICS Chief Finance and Commercial Officer Elliott Adams met flag state administrations and industry stakeholders to discuss ISF Verify, a cloud-based platform designed to support the shift from paper to digital seafarer certificates and connect national seafarer databases.

Later in June, the IMO’s Navigation, Communication and Search and Rescue sub-committee, known as NCSR 13, also began its work. ICS Nautical Director Gregor Stevens led the chamber’s marine team in contributing to discussions on routeing measures, including traffic separation schemes, as well as onboard equipment such as ECDIS and VDES.

Concluding the month, ICS welcomed the Bulgarian Shipowners Association as an affiliate national association member. The association focuses on safe and quality shipping, environmental compliance and the sharing of international and national best operational practices.