• 500 international attendees will attend ICS Centenary dinner to mark 100 years of industry representation next week.
• ‘Shaping the Future of Shipping’ Summit will follow the Centenary celebrations, bringing together supply chain decision-makers to act on decarbonising the industry.
• CEOs and ministers will discuss accelerating the production of green fuels and maritime technologies, after recent IMO meeting delivered limited clarity.

The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), representing 80% of the world’s merchant fleet, will celebrate its centenary next week as the body reflects on 100 years of industry representation.

A special centenary dinner, featuring 500 international attendees, will take place on Monday 20^th June at the UK’s National Maritime Museum. ICS was formed at a meeting in Hotel Victoria 100 years ago in London. ICS remarked that this occasion offered a chance for the body to ‘reflect on this constantly changing industry and to look to the future’ in supporting shipowners, especially around the challenges of navigating a green transition.

The following day, on 21 June, ICS will stage its ‘Shaping the Future of Shipping’ summit as a chance for “tangible action” on decarbonisation, after limited progress at a recent IMO climate committee.

The executive and ministerial level summit will bring together more than 100 leading CEOs with political decision-makers from around the world. ICS has expressed hope that the private sector can progress action in addition to its global regulator and put into motion actions which will enable shipping and associated industries to catalyse their green transition.

The summit follows last week’s MEPC78, the IMO’s environmental working group, where the session failed to approve an industry-funded $5bn R&D initiative for green fuels. Shipping has proposed an industry-driven 2050 net-zero carbon target which is yet to be codified by governments at a regulatory level.

Esben Poulsson, ICS chairman, commented:

“ICS has represented the industry for more than 100 years, but we must always be forward-looking in how we can support our members. At this landmark moment, lessons learned from the past century will help equip us for the next, and nowhere will this be more pertinent than in how the global fleet deals with the challenges of decarbonisation.

“We are currently at a crossroad, and it is summits such as these which can play a crucial part in determining the industry’s direction of travel for the next century. Decarbonisation strategies come with high risks, which is why it is important to have critical discussions to determine the framework for the future and to deliver concrete solutions. Shipping urgently needs zero-carbon fuels to be available on a commercial scale, and the only way to do this is to accelerate their production.

“Shipping cannot decarbonise without governments; however, we cannot continue to put ourselves at the mercy of bureaucracy. As we celebrate 100 years representing the interests of a globally crucial industry, we intend for this summit to create tangible actions to guide us through one of our greatest challenges.”