Whilst July brings the summer sun for many, it has also devastatingly marked five-months since the escalation of conflict in the Middle East. In addition, in the Black and Red Seas we are seeing an alarming rise in the attacks on international shipping. These attacks not only impede on freedom of navigation but continue to place innocent seafarers in unacceptable amounts of danger. To see our most recent statement, please visit here.

In more positive news, the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) has finalised our Summit outcomes document following our annual Shaping the Future of Shipping Summit. The Summit took place in Rome, Italy, on the 23 June 2026, and was co-hosted between ICS and CONFITARMA, the Italian Confederation of Shipowners. Our Summit outcomes document summarises the key themes discussed across the panels. These include freedom of navigation being the cornerstone of global trade, protecting seafarers during geopolitical conflicts, resilience requires adaptability and cooperation, shifting away from traditional methods towards partnership models, and promoting the economic value of shipping. To read more about these topics, please see the full Summit outcomes, here.

ICS was invited to attend the International Association of Maritime Universities’ (IAMU) inaugural Early Career Academic Forum (ECAF) in Tokyo, Japan. ICS’ Senior Manager of Crewing and Training, Arvind Natrajan, represented our organisation and was among the key voices steering this vital dialogue. From rethinking classroom engagement, navigating the AI frontier in training, and more, the insights shared ensured that future maritime leaders, captains, and engineers will not just react to industry transformation, but will feel prepared to drive it forward. Arvind wrote a blog piece, discussing more about his trip and the discussions had. To find out more, please visit here.

The International Chamber of Shipping hosted a webinar on ‘Efficient and Quiet Technologies’ on the 3 July. ICS’ Principal Marine Director, John Stawpert, moderated this discussion, with Associate Professor at the University of Genoa Stefano Gaggero, Director Hydrodynamics at Kongsberg Hydrodynamic Research Centre Göran Grunditz, Naval Architect at Fincantieri Alessandro Marino, Senior CFD Specialist at Lloyd’s Register Savas Sezen, and Technical Director at ICS Chris Waddington, making up the speakers on the panel. The webinar had a specific focus on optimising propellers to improve energy efficiency and reduce underwater radiated noise, explaining how “cavitation” has a detrimental effect on marine wildlife by impeding their communication, therefore, negatively impacting their ability to hunt and navigate the ocean. You can watch the recording back on our YouTube Channel or read the full write up of the discussion on our website.

This month also saw the International Maritime Organization (IMO)’s 12^th session of the sub-committee on the Implementation of IMO Instruments (III 12). Attended by several senior members of our marine team, the key agenda points from ICS’ perspective include a comprehensive revision of the guidelines on implementation of the ISM Code by administrations and companies, which ICS provided two submissions for, the harmonisation of Port State Control (PSC) procedures across the regional MoUs and consideration of the data and trends over the past 12 months, and an analysis of casualty investigation reports, identification of lessons learned, and emerging safety trends.

In other developments at the IMO, the International Maritime Organization’s review of the Ballast Water Management (BWM) Convention is currently one of the most significant regulatory works taking place. A key area of ongoing discussion is the application of the Convention to ships operating in ports with challenging water quality (CWQ) condition, as existing interim guidance has been proven difficult to implement and does not fully address the operational challenges experienced by ships. ICS is actively participating intersessionally with Member States and other industry associations, to develop a revised and more practical CWQ Guidance before the end of the Experience-Building Phase (EBP). To read more about this topic, ICS’ Senior Marine Advisor – Technical, Manoj Subramanian, wrote a blog piece explaining the discussions in further detail.

After a lot of dedication and hard work from our commercial team, ICS released a new publication: ‘Shipping and the Environment: A Guide to Environmental Compliance.’ This sixth edition has been updated to reflect the latest industry environmental developments, including: the latest environmental regulations, with key differences highlighted between international, national and regional regulations, as well as updates specific to US requirements, emerging technologies and operational practices as examples of environmental improvements that can be delivered at sea and ashore, and future regulatory developments on exhaust gas cleaning systems discharges, control of invasive aquatic species, MARPOL Annex IV, and other areas likely to affect future operations. To find out more, and place your order, please visit here.

To finish the July ICS in Action on a high note, the 14 July 2026 marked 30 years since the International Convention on Salvage came into force. The convention provides two decades of the legal and commercial framework that underpins modern marine salvage, encouraging professional salvors to respond rapidly to vessels in distress. ICS Chairman, John Denholm commented on the anniversary, stating: “Shipowners greatly value the availability of salvors around the world who can offer services should a vessel be in danger. The Salvage Convention has meant that salvage services are offered under a well understood and fair system.”

We also celebrated the class of 2025-2026, who graduated from the International Maritime Law Institute (IMO IMLI) at its 37^th Graduation Ceremony in Malta. ICS hugely values and supports the work and objectives of IMO IMLI to train legal maritime specialists of the future and we are delighted to announce that this year, the ICS fellow on the Master of Laws programme (LLM), LCDR Carlo B Nico Aguilana, graduated with distinction, and was also awarded the Transport Malta Prize for Best Performance in Shipping Law and the CMI Prize for Best Overall Performance, testament to his exceptional hard work and commitment. Many congratulations and our best wishes for further success in the future.