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, according to ICS's release.
A special centenary dinner, featuring 500 international attendees, will take place on Monday 20th 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.